













* 






























































FIVE PEBBLES 


FROM 

THE BROOK. 

BEING 

TO 

"A DEFENCE OF CHRISTIANITY” 

WRITTEN BY 

EDWARD EVERETT, 

GREEK PROFESSOR OF HARVARD UNIVERSITY. 

IN ANSWER TO 

“ THE GROUNDS OF CHRISTIANITY EXAMINED 

BY 

COMPARING THE NEW TESTAMENT WITH THE OLD.’* 

BY 

GEORGE BETHUNE ENGLISH. 

If 

n Should a wise man utter vain knowledge, and fill his belly with the east wind ?” 
“Should he reason with unprofitable talk? or with speeches wherewith he can 
do no good?—Thou chooseth the tongue of the crafty. Thy own mouth condemnelh 
thee, and not I ; yea, thine own lips testify against thee.” 

“ Behold 1 will make thee a new sharp threshing instrument having teeth. 

BIBLE. 



PHILADELPHIA : 
PRINTED FOR THE AUTHOR. 










When I left America, I had no intention of 
giving Air. Everett’s book a formal answer : 
hut having learned since my arrival in the Old 
World, that the controversy in which I had 
engaged myself had attracted some attention, 
and had been reviewed by a distinguished 
member of a German university, my hopes of 
being serviceable to the cause of truth and 
pliilanthrophy are revived, and I have there¬ 
fore determined to give a lleply to Air. T 
rett’s publication. 

In this Work, as in my prior writings, 1 have 
taken for granted the Divine Authority of the 
Old Testament, and 1 have argued upon the 
principle that every book, claiming to be con¬ 
sidered as a Divine Revelation and building 
itself upon the Old Testament as upon a foun¬ 
dation, must agree with it, otherwise the super¬ 
structure cannot stand. The New Testament, 
the Talmud, and the Koran are all placed by 
their authors upon the Law and the Prophets, 
as au edifice is upon its foundation ; and if it 
be true that any or all of them be found to be 
irreconcileable with the primitive Revelation 





IV 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


to which they all refer themselves, the question 
as to their Divine Authority is decided against 
them, most obviously and completely. 

This work was written in Egypt anil for¬ 
warded to the U. States, while 1 was preparing 
to accompany Ismael Pacha to the conquest of 
Ethiopia; an expedition in which 1 expected 
to perish, and therefore felt it to be my duty 
to leave behind me, something from which my 
countrymen might learn what were my real 
sentiments upon a most important and inter¬ 
esting subject; and as 1 hoped would learn too, 
how grossly they had been deluded into build¬ 
ing their faith and hope upon a demonstrated 
error. 

On my arrival from Egypt I found that the 
MS. had not been published, and I was ad¬ 
vised by several of my friends to abandon the 
struggle and to imitate their example, in sub¬ 
mitting to the despotism of popular opinion, 
which, they said, it was imprudent to oppose. 
I w r as so far influenced by these representa¬ 
tions—extraordinary indeed in a country which 
boasts that here freedom of opinion and of 
speech is established by law 7 —that I intended 
to confine myself to sending the MS. to Mr. 
Everett; in the belief that when he should 
have the weakness of his arguments in behalf 
of what he defended and the injustice of his 
aspersions upon me, fairly and evidently laid 
before him, that he would make me at least a 
private apology. He chose to preserve a sul¬ 
len silence, probably believing that he is so 
securely seated in the saddle which ills bre- 


ADVERTISEMENT. 


V 


thren have girthed upon the back of “ a strong 
ass,” that there is no danger that the animal 
will give him a fall. 

Not a little moved at this, I determined to 
do my myself justice, and to publish the pages 
following. 

This hook is not the work of an Infidel. I 
am not an infidel; what I have learned and 
seen in Europe, Asia and Africa, while it has 
confirmed my reasons for rejecting the New 
Testament, has rooted in my mind the convic* 
tion that the ancient Bible does contain a Re¬ 
velation from the God of Nature, as firmly as 
my belief in the first proposition of Euclid. 

The whole analogy of Nature, while it is 
in many respects opposed to the characteristics 
ascribed to the Divinity by the metaphysicians, 
yet bears witness in my opinion, that this world 
was made and is governed by just such a Be¬ 
ing as the Jehovah of the Old Testament; while 
the palpable fulfilment of predictions contained 
in that book, and which is so strikingly mani¬ 
fest in the Old World, leaves in my mind no 
doubt whatever, of the ultimate fulfilment of 
all that it promises, and all that it threatens. 

I cannot do better than to conclude these ob¬ 
servations with the manly declaration of the 
celebrated Christian orator Dr. Chalmers. 
“We are ready, (says he,) to admit that as 
the object of the iuquiry is not the character, 
but the Truth of Christianity, the philosopher 
should be careful to protect his mind from the 
delusions of its charms. He should separate 
the exercises of the understanding from the 
a 2 


Vi ADVERTISEMENT. 

tendencies of the fancy or of the heart. He 
should be prepared to follow the light of evi¬ 
dence, though it should lead him to conclusions 
the most painful and melancholy. He should 
train his mind to all the hardihood of abstract 
and unfeeling intelligence. He should give 
up every tiling to the supremacy of argument, 
and be able toi* enounce without a sigh all the 
tenderest possessions of infancy, the moment 
that Truth demands of him the sacrifice.” 
(Dr. Chalmers on the Evidence and Authority 
of the Christian Religion. Ch . 1.) 

Finally, let the Header remember, that 
“ there is one thing iu the world more con¬ 
temptible than the slave of a tyrant—it is the 
dupe of a Sophist.” 


G. B. E, 


PEBBLE I, 


And David “ chose him five smooth stones out of the 
brook, and put them in a shepherd’s bag which he had, even 
in a scrip: and his sling was in his hand: and he drew 
near to the Philistine.” 


Mr. Everett commences his work with the fol¬ 
lowing remarks. u Was Jesus Christ the person 
foretold by the prophets, as the Messiah of the 
Jews?; one method, and a very obvious one, of ex¬ 
amining his claims to this character, is to compare 
his person, life, actions, and doctrine, with the sup¬ 
posed predictions of them. But if it also appear 
that this Jesus wrought such works, as evinced that 
he enjoyed the supernatural assistance and co-opera¬ 
tion of God, this certainly is a fact of great import¬ 
ance. For we cannot say, that in estimating the 
validity of our Lord’s claims to the character of 
Messiah, it is of no consequence whether, while he 
advanced those claims, he wrought such works as 
proved his intimacy with the God of truth. 
While he professed himself the Messiah, is it in¬ 
different whether he was showing himself to be a 
being beyond delusion, and above imposture?—Let 
us make the case our own. Suppose that we were 
witnesses of the miraculous works of a personage 
of pretensions like our Lord’s, should we think it 
necessary or reasonable to resort to long courses of 
argument, or indeed to any process of the under- 



8 


five pebbles 


standing, except what was requisite to establish the 
fact of the miracles? Should we, while he was opening 
the eyes of the blind, and raising the dead from 
their graves, feel it necessary to be deciphering 
prophecies, and weighing these difficulties ? Now 
we may transfer this case to that of Christianity. 
The miracles of our Lord are either true or false. 
The infidel if he maintain the latter must prove it; 
and if the former can be made to appear, they are 
beyond all comparison the most direct and convin¬ 
cing testimony that can be devised,” p. 1, 2. of 
Mr. Everett’s work. 

To this statement I would reply—that I do not 
know what right Mr. Everett has to call upon his 
opponent, to prove a negative. It was his business 
to prove the affirmative of his question, and to show 
that these miracles actually were performed, before 
he proceeded to argue upon the strength of them. 
It is, I conceive, impossible to demonstrate that 
miracles said to have been wrought 1800 years ago, 
were not performed; but it is, I believe, quite pos¬ 
sible to show that there is no sufficient proof that 
they were. One of the reasons given, in the 2d, ch. 
as I think, of the grounds of Christianity examin¬ 
ed, for throwing out of consideration the miracles 
recorded in the New Testament in examining the 
question of the Messiahship of Jesus, was, that the 
New Testament itself, was not a sufficient proof 
that these miracles were actually wrought ; and 
this, with the reader’s indulgence, I think I can 
plainly show. 

Mr. Everett allows p. 450 of his work, what 
indeed he cannot deny, that the four Gospels do 
sometimes contradict each other in their narra¬ 
tives ; and he refers with approbation, in a note to 
p. 458, to a work of Lessing’s, which he says, “ought 
to be read by every one who is overfond of Har¬ 
monies. 7 This work of Lessing’s, if I recollect 
right, maintains, that all hopes of harmonizing the 


FROM THE fiROOK. 


0 


evangelists, of reconciling their contradictions* 
must be given up. [See Lessings Sammtliche, 
Schriften, ch. v. §. 150, as quoted by Mr. Everett, 
p. 458.] 

Now these contradictions, if they do exist, un¬ 
questionably argue one of two things ; either fraud, 
or want of accurate information in their authors, as 
no man who wishes to be considered compos mentis , 
will deny ; because, accurate information excludes 
the possibility of contradiction in authors willing to 
tell the truth, and much more in inspired authors, 
who must be incapable of writing'any thing but the 
truth. 

The Christian, therefore, must, it seems to me, on 
account of these contradictions, allow one of two 
things; either, that the evangelists were fraudulent 
men, or else that the Gospels were not writ¬ 
ten by the Apostles and immediate followers of 
Jesus : because want of accurate information, 
cannot be supposed of the Apostles and immedi¬ 
ate followers of Jesus ; as having been con¬ 
stantly with him, from the beginning, to the end 
of his ministery, they must have been perfectly 
acquainted with his actions and doctrines. Neither 
can lapse of memory be urged; because the Gospels 
represent Jesus as saying, John ch. xvi. 26, that 
they should have the aid of inspiration, which 
u should bring all things to remembrance and in 
Acts ch. iv. 31, all the followers of Jesus are 
represented as having actually received the effusion 
of the Holy Ghost: of course want of accurate 
information, and lapse of memory in them cannot 
be supposed. 

The Christian, therefore, must allow,since contra¬ 
dictions do exist, if he would avoid accusing the 
Apostles and disciples of Jesus of fraud, that the 
Gospels were not written by the Apostles and first 
followers of Jesus, but that they were written by 
men, who had no accurate information about the 
events they record. It is therefore plain, that the 


10 


FIVE PEBBLES 


miracles recorded in the Gospels, are incapable ot 
proof. For what Christian in his senses can ask 
another man to believe accounts of miracles , which 
accounts, he must at the same time allow, were 
written by fraudulent men, or by men who had no 
accurate information upon the subjects about which 
they write. ! ! 

The edge of this, as I think, smites right 
through the neck of Mr. Everett’s argument on 
which his work depends, and leaves his book— “ a 
gasping head—a quivering trurik.” Sic transit 
gloria mundi. 

But in order to make Mr. Everett still farther 
sensible how easily his argument can be u over¬ 
turned, overturned and overturned,’’ I will suppose 
a reasonable and reasoning man, desirous to verify 
the claims of the books of the New Testament as 
containing a Revelation from God, to set down to 
scrutinize with anxious solicitude every argument 
of internal and external evidence in favour of their 
authenticity, and authority, in the hope of becom¬ 
ing satisfied of the truth of their claims. But in 
the course of his examination, such a man will 
assuredly find, that almost every step in his inquiry, 
is an occasion of doubt and of difficulty. 

Books containing Revelations from the Supreme, 
must be consistent with themselves. But he will 
observe on a careful perusal of the evangelists, that 
the contradictions, particularly in the narratives of 
the crucifixion and-resurrection of Jesus, are nu¬ 
merous; and that all the ingenuity of Christian 
writers, has been exhausted in vain in the attempt 
to reconcile them ; for example, the Gospel called of 
Matthew say.s, ch. iii. 14, that John the Baptist, knew 
Jesus when he came to him to be baptised, 
(which was very probable on account of the re¬ 
lationship and intimacy subsisting between Mary 
the mother of Jesus, and Elizabeth the mother of 
John, as mentioned in the Gospel called of Luke, 
ch. i. 18, it could hardly have been otherwise) but 


TROM THE BROOK. 


11 


the author of the Gospel called of John says, ch. i. 
31, that John knew him not, until he was designa¬ 
ted by the descent of the Holy Ghost upon him. 

Again, it is said in the Gospel called of John, 
ch. ii. 14. that Jesus, on his first vist to Jerusa¬ 
lem after he had commenced his preaching, cast 
the buyers and sellers out of the Temple, whereas 
the Gospel called of Matthew, and also those 
called of Mark and Luke, represent this to have 
been done by Jesus at his last visit to Jerusalem, 
See Matt. ch. xxi. 12, Mark ch. xi. 15. Luke 
ch. xix. 45. 

Again, the author of the Gospel called of John, 
represents the last supper of Jesus with his Apos¬ 
tles, to have taken place (See ch. xiii. 1. and ch. 
xviii. 28.) on the eve before the feast of the pass- 
over, and that Jesus was crucified on the feast day 
itself; while the authors of the other Gospels 
represent the first event to have taken place, on 
the evening of the passover itself, and that Jesus 
was crucified the day after. See Matt. ch. xxvi. 
18. Mark xiv. 12. Luke ch. xxii. 7. Now Mat¬ 
thew and John must, according to the Gospels them¬ 
selves, have been present with Jesus when he 
drove the buyers and sellers out of the Temple, 
and at his last supper, and when he was seized in 
the garden of Gethsemane; they must therefore 
have, known perfectly w T hether Jesus drove the 
buyers, and sellers out of the Temple, at his first 
visit to Jerusalem in their company; or at his last, 
and whether his last supper, and his seizure in the 
garden of Gethsamane took .place on the eve be¬ 
fore the passover their great national festival, or 
on the evening of the passover itself. They could 
not forget the time and place of events, so affect¬ 
ing and important as the last mentioned, and 
when we add to these considerations, that the Gos¬ 
pels represent Jesus as saying, (John ch. xiv. 26.) 
that they should be inspired by the Holy Spirit, 


12 


FIVE PEBBLES 


which l< should bring all things to remembrance,’* 
the supposition that the real Matthew and John 
could contradict each other in this manner, becomes 
quite inadmissable. 

In the accounts of the resurrection of Jesus, the 
most important fact of Christianity, we also find 
several contradictions; for instance, the Gospel 
called of Matthew says, that the first appearance 
of Jesus to his disciples after his resurrection, was 
in Galilee, (See Matt. ch. xxviii. 7.) while the other 
evangelists assert, that his first appearance to them 
after that event was at Jerusalem. See Mark ch. 
xvi. Luke ch. xxiv. John ch. xx. The Gospel 
called of John says, that he afterwards appeared to 
them in Galilee : but according to that of Luke, 
the disciples did not go to Galilee to meet Jesus ; 
for that Gospel says, that Jesus expressly ordered 
his disciples to tarry at Jerusalem, where they should 
receive the effusion of the Holy Ghost, and that 
after giving that order he was taken up to Heaven. 
See Luke ch. xxiv. 49, 50, also, the first ch. of 
Acts.* 

* Mr. Everett appears willing to allow, as said before, the 
existence of these contradictions in the narratives of the 
Evangelists, particularly in their accounts of the resurrec¬ 
tion of Jesus, [See p. 456. of his work.] but maintains their 
credibility nevertheless, and in justification of this opinion, he 
quotes p. 457, the contradictions of the historians of the exe¬ 
cution of the Marquis of Argyle; a fact nevertheless not 
doubted. But the casts are by no means parallel*; that a 
rebt 1 should be decapitated is a fact of notorious frequency 
in British history and very probable in itself, and as it is a 
fact without consequence,no man will be inclined tod ubt it, 
if it be affirmed by history, notwithstanding some contradic¬ 
tions in the accounts of the circumstances of his execution. 

But I would ask Mr. Everett—if the same historians who 
report the execution of the Marquis of Argyle, had also 
affirmed that three days after he had his head cut off, he 
appeared again alive to his particular friends with his head 
on, talking and dining with them ; and that one of these his¬ 
torians represent this to have taken place at London_ 

another at Edinburgh—and 3 third at Stirling, would Mr. 
Everett, or any man in his senses, hesitate to consider these 


FROM THE BROOK. 


13 


This greatly invalidates the credibility of these 
accounts ; for as much as that the historical testi¬ 
mony in attestation of supernatural events, ought, 
because such events are out of the common course 
of nature, to be strong and unexceptionable. 

He will observe too that these writers, supposed 
to have been the inspired followers of Jesus Christ, 
have applied many passages of the Old Testament as 
prophecies of Jesus, when it is most certain (and is 
at the present day allowed by Christian Biblical 

contradictions in the accounts of such a supernatural event as 
of no weight ? Let us add to this another consideration.— 
Suppose that the Marquis of Argyle was a man of irre¬ 
proachable and admirable character, and enthusiastically 
beloved by his friends, and that these friends believed in cer¬ 
tain ancient prophecies which predicted that a Scotchman 
should arise, who should make Scotland supreme over all the 
earth, and live himself for ever •• and that these friends be¬ 
lieved the Marquis of Argyle to be the man : but that 
disappointed in their expectations by seeing him suffer his head 
to be cut off, they had their hopes revived by the appearance 
of this story of his having been seen alive by twelve of his 
most intimate friends, who were the heads bf the party who 
had believed that the Marquis of Argyle would fulfill the 
prophecies aforesaid, and not content with receiving this 
contradictory story with avidity themselves, (which after 
all might have been invented as a salvo for his non-fulfil¬ 
ment or postponing the fulfilment of these prophecies, by 
submitting to be decapitated) insisted that every body else 
should believe it too, on pain of eternal damnation .'—Would 
not Mr. Everett be inclined to suspect that these friends of 
the Marquis of Argyle were deluded men, and possibly non- 
compcs-mentis ; and suppose that these friends of the Marquis 
of Argyle had told their party that he had been taken up to 
Heaven, fora time, but would return again into the World, 
before that generation had passed away, and would then ful¬ 
fill the prophecies aforesaid ; and that this party, notwith¬ 
standing that the Marquis of Argyle did not come again be¬ 
fore that generation had passed away nor for eighteen hun¬ 
dred years afterwards, still retained their belief in the afore¬ 
said circu i stances, and still insisted that every body else 
should believe them too on pain of eternal damnation ; would 
not Mr. Everett consider these men as certainly distrac¬ 
ted ? “ Mutata nomine de te J'abula natraturf Mr. Ever¬ 
ett. 


B 



14 


TIVE PEBBLES 


Critics of the highest standing) from examining 
those passages in their context in the Old Testament* 
that they are not prophecies of Jesus ; and that some 
of the passages cited are in fact no prophecies at all, 
but are merely historical. Nor is this all, these 
authors have cited as prophecies and proof texts, 
passages which do not exist in the Old Testament. 
From which it seems to follow that they must have 
forged those passages, or quoted them from some 
Apocryphal book which they believed to be inspired. 
If they were capable of the first, they were not the 
honest and inspired followers and disciples of Jesus 
Christ; if they were capable of the last, they were 
not Jews but Gentiles, ignorant that the Jews in 
the time of Jesus, acknowledged no books as in¬ 
spired scripture but the books of the Old Testa¬ 
ment. See Appendix , A. 

A reasonable and reasoning man, such as I have 
supposed, may ask himself if it be possible that men 
filled with the Holy Ghost, and whose minds were 
supernaturally opened to understand the scriptures, 
could make mistakes such as these. 

Lastly, he will recollect, on discovering what is 
about to be stated, that the Apostles and follow¬ 
ers of Jesus Christ were Jews, and consequently 
could not be ignorant of what was notorious to the 
whole nation, for instance, that the Jewish Sabbath 
begins at sunset on Friday evening, and ends at 
sunset on Saturday evening. Nevertheless the 
author of the Gospel called of Matthew makes ch. 
xxviii. 1. the Sabbath to end at dawn of day on Sun¬ 
day morning: while the author of that called of 
John apparently reckons, ch. xx. 19. the even¬ 
ing of the first day of the week as a part of the 
first day of # the week ; whereas it is in fact, accord¬ 
ing to the law and customs of the Jews, who then 
and now reckon their days from sunset to sunset, 
the beginning and a part of the second day of the 


FROM THE BROOK. 


15 


week. Such mistakes appear to me to indicate 
that the writers of those Gospels were Gentiles not 
perfectly acquainted with Jewish customs, and 
therefore not Matthew and John.* 

There are other traces of ignorance of Jewish 
customs, to be found in the Gospel called of Mat¬ 
thew, which betray the Gentilism of the author of 
it. For instance, he says ch. xxvi. 24, that Jesus 
told Peter, that w before the cock crew he should 
deny him thrice the same is also found in Mark 
ch. xiv. 30. in Luke ch. xxii. 54, and in John ch. 
xiii. 38. Now it is asserted in the Mishna (i. e 
the oral law of the Jews.) in the Bava Kama accord¬ 
ing to Mr. Everett p. 448. of his work, that cocks 
were not permitted in Jerusalem where Peter’s de¬ 
nial took place; [probably because that bird is con¬ 
stantly scratching up the ground with his feet, and 
was thereby liable to turn up impurities, by touch¬ 
ing which in passing by, a Jew would be cere¬ 
monially defiled, and rendered incapable of visiting 
the Temple to perform his devotions, till after the 
evening of the day on which the. defilement took 
place,] therefore all the four Gospels which all 
contain this story, must have been written by Gen¬ 
tiles ignorant of the custom which belies the story. 

Some Christian writers have endeavoured to get 
rid of this objection, by attempting to prove that 
the crowing of the cock here mentioned, does not 
mean actually the crowing of a cock, but “ the sound 
of a trumpet!” while others, blushing at the hardi¬ 
hood of their brethren, think it more prudent to 
maintain, that the author of the Mishna was ignor- 

* Dr. Campbell in his notes to his translation of the 
Evangelists in loco, tries to prove that the Greek words in the 
Gospel of Matthew, which undoubtedly strfbtly and literally 
signify “in the evening of the Sabbath,” or “at the end 
of the Sabbath,” may mean “the Sabbath being ended,”; 
which, if it could be established, would set aside the objec¬ 
tion 1 have mentioned 


16 


FIVE PEBBLES. 


ant of Jewish customs, and that the writers of the 
Gospels were perfectly acquainted with them ; and 
that therefore every good Christian was bound in 
conscience not to regard the objection. 

But the prohibition of cocks from entering the 
Holy city, is so perfectly of a piece with many other 
cautions against defilement observed by the Jews ; 
and is so perfectly in the taste of the times of the 
Pharisees, the careful 44 washers of plates and plat¬ 
ters,’’—the 44 tithers of mint, anise, and cummin,” 
not to mention the reason above Expressed, which 
perhaps was, to say truth, according to the regula¬ 
tions against defilement contained in the Pentateuch 
a sufficient reason for excluding that bird from the 
city, where stood the Temple, that the reader will 
probably believe that such a custom might have 
existed. 

Again, it is said Matt, xxvii. 62, that the Chief 
Priests and Pharisees went to Pilate ; demanded a 
guard ; went to the Sepulchre of Jesus ; sealed the 
door, and set watch. Now Jesus is said to have 
arisen on the day after this, on the first day of the 
week, i. e. Sunday, of course the day before was 
Saturday of the Jewish Sabbath. I maintain that 
the Chief Priests and Pharisees, who objected to 
Jesus curing ’ the sick and rubbing corn from the 
ear, in order to satisfy his hunger on the Sabbath 
day ; I maintain that it is utterly incredible, that 
these men should have gone to Pilate on public 
business, and transacted all this on their Sabbath. 
For such an action would have come completely 
within the spirit, and the letter of the Laws against 
breaking the Sabbath contained in the Pentateuch, 
which makes the penalty of such actions as are 
here ascribed to the Chief Priests and rigorous 
Pharisees, nothing less than stoning to death. 1 
infer therefore, that the author of the Gospel of 


FROM TIIE BROOK. 


1 7 


Matthew was ignorant of this, and of course not a 
Jew, and consequently not Matthew. 

I would observe further, in connection with this 
subject, that Jesus is represented, Matt, xxiii. 35, 
as saying, that upon the Jews of this time should 
come u the blood of Zecharias the son of Barachi- 
as whom ye slew between the Temple and the 
altar.” Now I believe that it is recorded in Jose¬ 
phus’ history, that the Jews slew this Zecharias in 
the time of the Jewish war, about forty years 
after Jesus is represented as saying, that they had 
killed him already. Of course Jesus never could 
have said this, nor would a Jew acquainted with 
the times, as Matthew must have been, have been 
guilty of such an anachronism. The writer of 
that Gospel must therefore, have been a Gentile, 
and not Matthew. The same mistake is made by 
Luke xi. 51. 

On turning his attention to the external evi¬ 
dence in favour of the authenticity of the Gospels, 
the difficulties 1 and objections accumulate. He 
will find, that they are not mentioned by any wri¬ 
ter earlier than the latter half of the second cen¬ 
tury, after the birth of Jesus. The first writers 
who name the four Gospels were Irenseus, and 
Tertuliian.* The competency of the testimony of 
these Fathers of the church, as to the genuineness 
of these books, is invalidated by the fact, (See Mid¬ 
dleton’s Free Enquiry) that they admitted the 
principle of the lawfulness of pious frauds, and 
from their having acted upon this principle, 
in having asserted in their writings, as from their 

* Of Irenxus and Tertuliian Mr. Everett remarks, that 
“ Tertuliian was a very shrewd writer, [yes indeed, and of 
his fraudulent shrewdness Middleton gives some notable 
instances in his true inquiry] and Irenzeus less fool than 
knave” p. 471. of Mr. Everett’s work. I would observe 
to Mr. Everett, that this Irenzeas is the first writer who 
B 2 


18 


FIVE PEBBLES. 


personal knowledge, things which were certainly 
false; (See the work above referred to) while 
their capability to distinguish the genuine writings 
of the Apostles, from the numerous forgeries in 
their names that appeared about the same time that 
the four Gospels begin to be mentioned, is render¬ 
ed suspicious by the fact, that they also give their 
sanction as Divine Scriptures, to books notoriously 
apocryphal; for instance the book of Enoch and 
the Sybilline Oracles.* The testimony of the Fathers 

mentions the four Gospels, and that the Fathers of the 
Church who came after him in affirming the genuineness of 
the four Gospels appeal to this Irenceus this “ half fool t 
half knavef as the authority and voucher for their 
authenticity; the evidence for their authenticity stops short 
with him. Justin Martyr who flourished about the year 140 
of the Christian Era, in his apology quotes, indeed, Me¬ 
moirs of Jesus Christ which he says, were written by Apos¬ 
tles and Apostolick men. But it is, acknowledged by Bishop 
Marsh in his notes to Michaelis Introduction to the New 
Testament, that the quotations of Justin Martyr are so unlike 
the expressions in the received Evangelists to which they ap¬ 
pear to refer, that one of two things must be true ; either that 
Justin does not quote our present Gospels ; or else, that they 
were in his time in a very different state, from what they 
now are. 

Papias who wrote about 116 of the Christian Era says, 
that Matthew wrote a Gospel “ in Hebrew which every one 
interpreted as he was able,” but says nothing of a Gospel of 
Matthew in Greek ; and that the present Greek Gospel called 
of Matthew could not be a translation from Matthew’s He¬ 
brew, appears from Bishops Marsh’s Dissertation on the origin 
of these first Gospels ; where he proves that it is not a trans¬ 
lation of one work, but a compilation from several. The 
same is maintained by the German Theologians to be pre¬ 
sently mentioned. 

* These Sybiline oracles so often, and so confidently ap¬ 
pealed to by the Fathers of the Church, are now universally 
allowed to have been forged by the Christians themselves : 
of them Scaliger speaks as follows. 

“ Quid pseudo—Sybilina oracuia quse Christiani gentibus 
objiciebant, quum tamen e Christianorum officina prodiissent 
in Gentium autem Bibliothecis non reperirentur ? Adeo ver- 
bum Dei inefficax esse censuerunt, ut regnum Christi sine 


FROM THE BROOK. 


19 


who succeeded them is liable to the same objec¬ 
tions, with this aggravation that it’s value di¬ 
minishes more and more, as the distance of the 
ages in which they flourished increases, from that 
of Jesus Christ. 

Thirdly, He will find that these Gospels were 
never received by the Mother Church of Jerusa¬ 
lem and Judea, founded by the Apostles. The 
Jewish Christians, the countrymen of Jesus, who 
one would think had the best means of knowing 
the real history, and real doctrines of Jesus and 
his Apostles, uniformly rejected not only these 
Gospels, but all the other books of the New Testa¬ 
ment.* They were also rejected, by several sects 

Mendaciis promoveri posse diffiderent? atque utinam illi 
primi mentiri coepissent,” apud La Roche Mem. Lit. 7. 331. 
as quoted by Mr. Everett, p. 228. of his work. 

If the reader will consult Toiand’s Amyntor, he will find 
appended to that work, a list of the names of I think about 
a hundred Gospels, Epistles, and Revelations, forged by the 
Gentile Christians in the first centuries of the Christian 
Era. The Celebrated Sender, so distinguished for his knowl¬ 
edge in Biblical criticism and ecclesiastical antiquities, has 
said, as Mr. Everett allows, p. 464 of his work, that the 
general Epistles of James, Peter, and John and Jude, and 
the book of Revelations, contained in the New Testament at 
present, must be also placed upon the long list of pious frauds, 
fabricated in the first ages of Christianity. 

* It is an allowed principle of liberal criticism, that when 
the expressions of an author are capable of two senses, one 
of which would make him contradict himself, and the other 
would leave him consistent, it is but fair to suppose that he 
meant to be consistent, and therefore should be interpreted 
in the sense which would exclude self-contradiction. How 
has the liberal Mr. Everett acted on an occasion of this 
kind? I had said in my first work “theJewish Christians, 
the disciples of the twelve Apostles , never received, but re¬ 
jected every individual book of the present New Testament.” 

I had also maintained, that the Gospels were forged after 
the middle of the second century. Now any reasonable man 
would I believe understand me as using the expressions, 
“ Jewish Christians, the disciples of the twelve Apostles,” 
in the same sense as when we speak of the followers of Plato r 


20 


FIVE PEBBLES 


of Christians who flourished in the early ages of 
Christianity. 

Fourthly, He will learn too that the Christians 
most distinguished for their learning on this sub¬ 
ject, for instance, Michaelis, Semler, Lessing, 
Eichorn, and the erudite Bishop Marsh, do allow 
and maintain in their works, that the Gospels ac¬ 
cording to Matthew, Mark and Luke were compi¬ 
led from accounts of the life and doctrines of Jesus 
which became, after different additions , revisions 
and translations , the^BAsis of our present Gospels ; 
u from such separate materials, which had gone 
through different hands, and had acquired a variety 
of text and context, from the different transcripts 
and translations in which they circulated, though 
for the most part they were copied verbatim from 
one another, several Gospels, among which were 
our three first Matthew Mark and Luke, were 
composed after* the destruction of Jerusalem, 
and designated some by the names of the readers 

Whitfield, or Wesley, by the name of Disciples of Plato, 
Whitfield, or Wesley, -without confining the expression to 
signify their immediate disciples; the insertion of the words* 
“ never received,” also suggests that this must have been my 
meaning. Nevertheless Mr. Everett, in order to bring me in 
contradiction with myself in order to serve a turn of his 
own, remarks upon my words, “ without presuming to de¬ 
cide upon the opinions of a writer, so keen in detecting dis¬ 
sonances as Mr. English, I do presume to think, that if 
every individual book of the present New Testament, was re¬ 
jected, by the disciples of the twelve Apostles, that they 
must have been in being at the time they were rejected-, and 
therefore could not have been forged, a century after that 
period. I am not conscious of any wish to weaken the 
force of Mr. English’s arguments, by affecting to speak of 
them in contemptuous terms, I would, as I have , answered 
them fairly , or not, at all.*’ p. 44 5. 

* If so, what becomes of all Mr. Everett’s laboured argu- 
mentgupon Jesus* prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem 
contained in p. 401. et seq. of his work; if it be true that 
the prophecy was written, after the events predicted took 
place l 


FROM THE BROOK. 


21 


for whom they were designed, and others by the 
names of their authors and compilers.” (See the 
life of Sender in Eichorn’s Universal Library, as 
quoted by Mr. E. p. 465. of his work.) 

These Gospels then, in the opinion of these 
learned Christians, were originally compiled from 
anonymous writings, which had gone through dif¬ 
ferent hands and been variously altered, and added 
to in the passage, before they became the basis ! ! 
of our present Gospels.* 

Lastly, he will discover, that since their con- 

* If this opinion be true, and Bishop Marsh may be 
considered as having almost demonstrated it to be so in his 
dissertation upon the origin of the three first Gospels, it 
follows, that these Gospels, could not have been written by 
the Apostles, and immediate followers of Jesus Christ ; for 
certainly, men personally and intimately acquainted with all 
his actions, and all his doctrines, (as were his Apostles and 
all his immediate followers, and influenced too by the Holy 
Ghost, as they are all represented to have been in the book 
of Acts, ch. iv. 31,) in setting about writing Memoirs of Jesus, 
would write from their own complete, insfiired and personal 
knowledge ; and would not compile from “ books which had 
gone through various hands, and been variously altered and 
added to in the passage.” No! such a procedure would be 
that of men, who had no personal knowledge of the 
events they undertook to record ; and who were therefore 
obliged to consult books for information. 

In order to place in a fair light the absurdity of supposing 
the four Gospels to have been written by the Apostles and 
first followers of Jesus, I will suppose a case. Suppose 
there should appear in the world, four different Lives of Na¬ 
poleon pretending to have been written by four of his aids de¬ 
camp, who had constantly been near his person, from the 
time that he commanded the troops in Paris till his de¬ 
thronement: and that one of them represented that the expe¬ 
dition to Egypt took place when he was General of the 
troops in Paris, another that it took place when he was 
first Consul, and the others that it took place when he was 
Emperor. Would any man believe, that all these books 
were written by aids de-camp of Napoleon, who had been 
constantly near his person from the time that he commanded 
the troops of Paris till his dethronement ? 


22 


FIVE PEBBLES. 


struction from ^pch nameless materials, they have 
been further altered and interpolated. Celsus ac¬ 
cuses the Christians of his time (the latter part of 
the 2nd century) of “ continually altering their 
Gospels and the ancient Christian sects accuse 
each other of the same fact. That these accusa¬ 
tions were well founded, is evident from Gries- 
bach’s edition of the Greek Testament; where be¬ 
sides the notice of some hundred thousands of 
various readings, we find not only single words, 
but whole phrases, and verses, and even entire 
paragraphs rejected as corruptions and interpola¬ 
tions. Neither have all these corruptions been 
accidental; for as much as the strongest text in 
the New Testament, in support of the doctrine of 
the Trinity and the Divinity of Jesus Christ, which 
is to be found in the first Epistle, called of John 
ch. v. 7, w there are three that bear witness in 
Heaven. The Father, the Word, and the Holy 
Ghost and these three are one,” has been struck 
out of the text by Griesbach, himself a Trinitarian, 
as a pious fraud , and is now I believe universally 
acknowledged as such by learned Christians. 

There are also, two other passages which for 
ages have been cited as proofs of the Divinity of 
Jesus (viz. “The Church of God which he has re¬ 
deemed with his own blood,” Acts ch. xx. 28. and 
u God was manifested in the flesh,” in the first 
Epistle to Timothy, ch. iii. 16.) which the same 
Critic has proved to have been altered from their 
original reading to favour the same doctrine ; and 
it is impossible to say how many more frauds of a 
similar nature might be detected, if the learned and 
candid Christians before-mentioned were in posses¬ 
sion of the primitive manuscripts of the New 
Testament.* 

* The New Testament, is I believe unparalleled among 
all the ancient books that have come down to us for the 


FROM THE BROOK. 


23 


All these enormities Mr. Everett, who has a 
light hand in writing upon some subjects, comprizes 
with great tenderness in the following expressions, 
“our copies of the New Testament by the lapse of 
time , have suffered some literal alterations, which 
may have fallen occasionally on the quoted texts 
(he is trying to justify the writers of the New 
Testament, for quoting the Old Testament other¬ 
wise than it is written) and thus made them to differ 
from the reading of the Old Testament,” p. 279. 

number, and importance of the corruptions, and alterations, 
it has undergone. What! can learned Christians tell us of 
several hundred thousands of various readings, in copies of a 
small book like the New Testament—that almost everv, 
perhaps every verse has been altered, interpolated, or re¬ 
trenched in some copy or other—and then add in the same 
breath that the book is nevertheless to be received, as con¬ 
taining the uiicorrupted doctrines of the founders of Chris¬ 
tianity ? If we did not know the inconsistency, and blindness 
of prejudice, one might be tempted to suspect that these 
learned men were hardly sincere. 

What! is it to be insisted on that a book which Provi¬ 
dence has evidently abandoned to carelessness, or to ro¬ 
guery, or to both, was nevertheless intended by the Supreme, 
as a credible record of an ultimate , permanent and univer¬ 
sal religion for all mankind !!—The insane effrontery of 
such a supposition deserves to be hooted out of countenance. 

Mr. Everett says, p. 243. of his work “ that not one of 
the books of the New Testament, nor all of them together, 
were intended to be a forensic defence of Christianity. On 
the contrary, the historical books are brief, and imperfect 
memoirs, which were not designed, nor supposed to contain 
all the facts, and which do not set forth, nor profess to set 
forth the evidences of the religion. The Epistolary parts 
are the counsels, instructions and affectionate sentiments 
which the occasions of the infant churches, drew from their 
founders. Now from these we expect, to collect the whole 
of Christianity, of its doctrines, it's precepts, and it’s sanc¬ 
tions.” Can Mr. Everett confideiity believe, that God Al¬ 
mighty, who descended to the earth, to deliver a Code to one 
nation would have left the world to collect as they could a 
complete, universal, and permanent code of religion and 
morals from “ brief and imperfect,” interpolated and cor¬ 
rupted memoirs, and a few occasional letters. ? 


24 


FIVE PEBBLES 


I have supposed that a reasonable and reason* 
ing man, desirous to ascertain the truth of the re¬ 
ligion of the Christians, and in the hope of finding 
it well founded, in the course of his examination 
of the testimony for the authenticity and authority 
of the books of the New Testament, comes to the 
knowledge of all these circumstances. If the read¬ 
er be such a man, I would ask him, if he can ra¬ 
tionally rest his belief in the moral attributes of 
God, and his faith in a future life, upon a founda¬ 
tion composed of such materials. ? 

Mr. Everett observes “that as prophecy and 
miracle are equally divine works, it is impossible 
that they should contradict each other. They are 
equally the works of the God of truth, and what¬ 
ever contradiction there appears to be between them, 
must be but apparent. If a person of whatever 
pretensions proposes to work miracles in support of 
those pretensions, in wffiich nevertheless he is con¬ 
tradicted by express prophecy, one of these things 
is certain—that the prophecy is a forged one—or 
that we have mistaken the meaning of it— or that 
the miracles are not real,” p. 3. of Mr. Everett’s 
work. 

Granted—upon this ground I think that Mr. 
Everett can fairly be brought to issue. I pre¬ 
sume that he will hardly persist in maintaining that 
the Gospels are a sufficient proof of the miracles 
they record, in the face of the objections to their 
authenticity and authority already stated—and as 
neither he nor myself maintain that the prophecies, 
with regard to the Messiah, contained in the Old 
Testament were forged, it remains only to be 
considered, whether he or I have mistaken the 
meaning of them. So that, as I have repeatedly 
said in my former publications, the prophets, after 
all, are the only criterion which can be appealed to 
for a decision of the question at issue; a question 



FROM THE BROOK. 


25 

certainly most important to the great interests of 
humanity, were it only on this account, that the 
dispute has occasioned the most unparalled de* 
gradation, misery, and oppression to one of the 
parties to it.* 

* Mr. Everett recommends to me to adopt as an appro¬ 
priate motto for the second edition of my first work, a pas¬ 
sage from Celsus which speaks of the dispute, between the 
Jews and Christians as a “ quarrel about the shadow of an 
ass.” p. 327. of Mr. Everett’s work. 

Is it so indeed ! How then has it happened that Mr. Ever¬ 
ett’s Coreligionists have for fifteen hundred years persecuted, 
despised, oppressed, trampled under foot millions, plundered 
and massacred hundreds of thousands, tortured, racked, and 
roasted alive thousands of the Jewish nation; and all in a 
quarrel about “ the shadow of an ass !’* G shame, where is 
thy blush. O meek eye’d humanity, how hast thou been 
outraged and trampled on! 

For my own part I do not consider it as a quarrel about 
“the shadow of an ass,” I rather think it has a much greater 
resemblance to a quarrel about an ass in the JLion's skins 
in which quarrel the Christians have shown themselves to be 
every thing but the Fox in the Fable upon that subject. 


G 


PEBBLES II. 


“The Messiah expected by the Jews/’ says 
Mr. Everett, at the beginning of the second chapter 
of his book, “ and which Mr. English supposes to 
be predicted in the Old Testament, is “ a temporal 
prince, and a conquering pacificator.” The Chris¬ 
tians on the other hand maintain, that the prophets 
foretold not a political, but a religious institution, 
not a temporal prince, but a moral teacher, and 
spiritual Saviour. Which of these opposite views 
of the predicted character of the Messiah is cor¬ 
rect, must be decided of course by an appeal to 
particular predictions. But it is also a matter of 
reason, and we have a right to argue upon the 
question from the character of God, and the na¬ 
ture of man. Which of these views the Jewish or 
the Christian doth most commend itself to the 
sincere believer in the moral government of God, 
and the rational and accountable nature of man ?” 

This statement, I cannot help considering as 
both artful and unfair. That I have represented 
the Messiah as predicted to be “ a temporal Prince 
and a conquering pacificator, 1 ” is true, but it is not 
the whole truth; Mr. Everett would have it to 
be understood, that I maintained that the Messiah 


FROM THE BROOK. 


2 7 


was to be merely “ a temporal Prince j” whereas, 
those who will take the trouble to refer to the pri¬ 
or chapters of “ the grounds of Christianity ex¬ 
amined,” will find that I have endeavoured to 
prove that the prophets predict, that he was also 
to be “ a just, beneficient, wise, and mighty mon¬ 
arch, under whose government righteousness was 
to flourish, and mankind be made happyand I 
believe that there is not a single passage from the 
prophets quoted in Mr. Everett’s 2d. chapter to 
prove his views of the Messiah, that I have not 
also myself quoted to prove the beneficent charac¬ 
ter of him I suppose to be predicted. 

Mr. Everett unwarily betrays his own unfair¬ 
ness in the following passage of his \v r ork, p. 63.— 
“ Mr. English objects, that whereas the first charac¬ 
teristic of the Messiah was, that he was to be the 
Prince of Peace , in whose time righteousness was 
to flourish and mankind be made happy,” &c.* 

How is it possible, I might ask Mr. Everett that 
I could have maintained that the Messiah was to 
be merely u a temporal Prince, and a conquering 
pacificator,” when it is also true, as Mr. EvereU 
confesses, that I maintain that u the first charr 
teristic of the Messiah was that he was to b*' 
Prince of Peace, in whose time righteousn 
to flourish and mankind be made happy?” x c. 

* Mr. Everett, also quotes my words in another place into 
the 211. page of his work. “The Jews had certainly good 
reason from their prophecies, to expect no Messiah but one 
who should set on the Throne of David, and confer Liberty 
and happiness on them, and spread peace and happiness 
throughout the earth, and communicate the knowledge of 
God and virtue, and the love of their fellow men to every 
people.” 

Is this a character “ whose laurel is to be watered by 
tears,” the leaves of which is to “grow green in an atmos¬ 
phere filled with sighs and groans ?” I would ask Mr. Ever¬ 
ett, 


28 


FIVE PEBBLES 


fess, that I feel both contempt and indignation at 
such an artful mis-representation of my opinions, 
in order to attack them with more hopes of suc¬ 
cess ; and as I do not profess to be a Christian, I 
may be excused for expressing what in this case 
I certainly have a right so feel.* 

The prophets, literally understood , represent (as 
Mr. Everett will not deny) that the Messiah is to 
be a mighty Monarch, enthroned at Jerusalem, 
under whose reign the Jews should be restored to 
their country, and converted from their sins and 
errors, and established in the most perfect and 
endless happiness; that he will put down all 
opposition to his authority, and exterminate the 
wicked out of the earth, and unite the pious and 
good of all the human race under his government, 
making them participators of the eternal happiness 
of the favoured descendants of Abraham, that all 

* Mr. Everett says page, 107. with great gravity, “ to 
hear the Evangelists charged in vulgar terms with misquot¬ 
ing and changing words, by one, who could himself fall into 
the errors and the misrepresentations we have just exposed, 
moved me to a warmth of language, which 1 did not 
k to have used. But, I beg pardon : it is the New Tes- 
■t which teaches us. that we “ beware lest we con - 
■rselves, in what we judge another ”* And Mr. 
.as let us know that the New Testament morality 
.rnicious to society. Justly, most justly, does Dr. Le- 
.and observe, that “ it would be hard to produce any per¬ 
sons whatever, who are chargeable with more unfair, and 
fraudulent management in their quotations, in curtailing , ad¬ 
ding to, and altering the passages they cite y or taking them 
out of their connexion, and making them speak directly con¬ 
trary to the sentiments of their authors than the Dtdstical 
Writers!!” They are indeed sad dogs, it must be allowed* 
Mr. Everett. 


FROM THE BROOK. 


29 


sin, sorrow, and error shall be no more, and the 
earth become all Paradise 

“Far more bless'd than that of Eden, 

And far happier days.”* 

The difference between Mr. Everett’s and my 
view of this representation is, that I understand the 
prophets to mean that the whole will be literally 
fulfiled ; and Mr. Everett maintains that, that part 
which accords with the Christian view of the Mes¬ 
siah is to be literally understood, but that that part 
which is opposed to it must be taken figuratively. 

Who is so blind as not to perceive the motives 
for such an incoherent system of interpretation’ 
The passages which represent the Messiah as a 
Monarch reigning at Jerusalem, and whose tern- 
poral authority should extend over all the earth, 
Mr. Everett would interpret to signify, (by a 
figure') “ a preacher of righteousness, and a spiritual 
Saviour of the souls of men;” because Jesus had 
no temporal authority whatever, and therefore to 
understand them literally would exclude the claims 
set up for him. The earth’s being restored to a 
Paradisiacal state, and the extinction of all sin, vio¬ 
lence, and misery throughout its circumference, 
Mr. Everett would interpret to signify, (by a fig¬ 
ure) “ the blessed events,” which have occurred, 
and the 4< changes that have taken place fi since the 
promulgation of Christianity ! !f 

* See Appendix , B. 

f Mr. Everett considers the happy reign of the Messiah 
as having actually commenced with the aera of Jesus Christ, 
and that we are actually enjoying its blessings. Of course 
he must consider his being whipped, and giobetted by his 
own subjects, and leaving the. world in the hands of those 
holy men, Tiberius, Nero. Caligula, Domitian, and Helioga- 
balus, kingdom rising against kingdom, and nation against 
nation; (though the prophets declare that in the reign of 
c 2 


30 


FIVE PEBBLES 


Mr. Everett, in support of his system of inter¬ 
pretation, shows us, that the Supreme Being is 
frequently spoken of in the Old Testament, as a 
King and as a victorious warrior; and therefore 
infers, because such passages must be understood 
figuratively, that the passages in the prophets which 
speak of the Messiah in similar terms , must be 
also understood figuratively. 

To this it seems to me to be a sufficient answer 

the Messiah “ nation shall not lift up sword against nation, 
neither shall they learn war any more,”) famines, earth¬ 
quakes, and pestilences in divers places, (though the pro¬ 
phets declare that in the reign of the Messiah, the earth 
shall become a Paradise, and that God shall wipe all tears 
from off all faces, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away,) 
that horrid Jewish war in which perished more than eleven 
hundred thousand of the Jewish nation, while the rest were 
dispersed and enslaved, (though the prophets say, that in 
the reign of the Messiah the Jews should enjoy the most 
perfect and endless happiness,) the theological quarrels, 
frauds, forgeries, Councils, and Excommunications, and an 
endless detail of Battle and Murder, the irruptions and 
devastations of the Goths Huns and Vandals, the rise and 
establishment of “ these venerable institutions/’ the Pope¬ 
dom and the Inquisition, the persecutions and wars excited 
by St. Dominic, the wars of Charlemagne, and the Teuto¬ 
nic Knights upon the Germans, giving them no alternative 
but the Gospel or the Sword, the Crusades, the pious ex¬ 
ploits of Cortez and Pizarro in America, the comfortable 
state of things during the dark ages, the Massacre of St. 
Bartholomew, and the wars carried on by the Catholicks 
against the Protestants, and the wars since carried on by 
the Protestants and Catholicks, indiscriminately with each 
other, as among those “ blessed events, and happy changes/* 
I use Mr. Everetts words, intended by ‘'the highly figura¬ 
tive language/’ of the Old Testament prophets predictive 
of the reign of the Messiah ! If the reader will persue those 
predictions contained in Appendix, B. or that beautiful com- 
pendof them Pope’s “ Messiah” he will I believe allow, that 
if it were possible for such things as the above mentioned, 
to be really intended by those prophecies, they would be 
the greatest hoax, and the most flagrant and enormous 
verification of the old proverb " parturiunt montes naseitur 
ridiculus mus,” on record. 


FROM THE BROOK 


31 

i to observe, that men who speak of the Deity, are 
obliged to employ human language and human 
ideas ; because 

“ What can we reason but from what we know ?” 
and therefore a great part of such language will 
be necessarily figurative ; but it by no means fol¬ 
lows from this, that the writers who are obliged to 
Use this figurative language when speaking of the 
Deity, intend to be understood in the same sense 
when they apply the same expressions to describe 
men and their actions. On the contrary, as they 
were writing to men and for men, it is natural to 
presume, that they meant to be understood in the 
way that such expressions are universally under¬ 
stood by all men, when they relate to men and 
their actions. Such a system of interpretation as 
this of Mr. Everett’s, turns the Bible into a Babel 
of confusion: a man proceeding upon this system, 
might with equal plausibility turn all the good and 
prosperous kings of Israel and Judah into “ Spirit¬ 
ual Saviours.”^ 

u What, says Mr. Everett, p. 63. would be 
thought of one, who after making a collection of 
passages which ascribe these attributes of royalty 
and conquest to God, such as Mr. English has 
made of those which ascribe such attributes to the 
Messiah, should infer as he does, that God is a just, 
beneficent, wise and mighty' monarch reigning on 
a throne in Jerusalem ?” 

To this I answer by asking in my turn, what should 
we think of one, who after making' a collection, 
of passages which ascribe these attributes of royalty 
and conquest to God, as Mr. Everett has done, 
should therefore think himself authorised to infer, 
that the history of David the son of Jesse, contain- 

* It is worth notice that when the term “ Saviour,” is ap. 
plied in the Old Testament to men , it invariably signifies a 
temporal deliverer, for instance, Judges iii. 9.15, in the He~ 
brew. 


32 


t'lVE PEBBLES 


ed in the Bible, (which, as all the world knows, is 
an oriental book abounding in figurative expres¬ 
sions) was not to be understood literally , but that 
it was very possible that this supposed monarch of 
Israel, who is represented as having “ saved it 
from its enemies on every side,’’ was after all, 
probably only a spiritual saviour of the souls of the 
Israelites, by having distinguished himself as a 
prophet, a preacher of righteousness, and a compo¬ 
ser of Psalms ! !# 

As Mr. Everett says, I u cheerfully leave this 
part of the controversy, with the answer to this 
question which every rational inquirer will give,” 
p. 63. 

Mr. Everett, however, in maintaining that the 
Messiah was to be merely a preacher of righteous¬ 
ness, a founder of a new religion, and a spiritual 
saviour of the souls of men, not only opposes the 
dicta of the prophets of the Old Testament, but is 
expressly contradicted by the doctrine of the New , 
which maintains the same ideas of the Messiah 
that the prophets teach and the Jews believe j and 

# The 1 writers of the Old Testament frequently speak of 
the head, hands, ears, eyes, and even nostrils of the Deity. 
Will Mr Everett infer, that because these expressions must 
be understood figuratively, that whenever the sacred wri¬ 
ters speak of heads, hands, ears, eyes, and noses of men, that 
said heads, hands, ears, eyes, and noses had no physical exis¬ 
tence, but must be interpreted figuratively ? If so, I do not 
despair of seeing Mr. Everett publish a Dissertation, crowded 
by numerous quotations from the Rabbies, in order to prove, 
that the history of David’s cutting off the head of Goliah, 
was in all probability merely a figurative account , in the 
oriental style, of the success of the prophet David in a 
controversy he had with a certain Philistine Heathen Priest 
of the God Dagon, (“ strange sea monster, upward man, 
and downward fish :”) who had written a book in order to. 
prove against the Israelites, that their law was “ a dead let¬ 
ter,” and they themselves no “nation.” 


from the brootc. 


33 . 


this with the indulgence of the reader’s patience I 
will plainly show. 

The angel is recorded, Luke, ch. i. 31, to have 
told Mary, concerning Jesus whom the author of 
that Gospel supposes to have been the Messiah, that 
“the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of 
his father David : and he shall reign over the house 
of Jacob for ever , and of his kingdom there shall 
be no end.” Now this is precisely the doctrine, 
concerning the Messiah, believed by the Jews 
from that time to the present ; for we see that 
Luke represents that the Messiah was not to be 
merely a spiritual saviour of the souls of men, but 
was actually to set upon the throne of David, and 
reign over the house of Jacob forever: which is 
precisely what the prophets teach and the Jews be» 
lieve. 

Again, in the same ch. 68, the writer of that 
Gospel represents Zecharias, when filled with the 
Holy Ghost, as predicting concerning Jesus as fol¬ 
lows. “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he 
hath visited and redeemed his people, and hath 
raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of 
his servant David: as he spake by the mouth of his 
holy prophets which have been since the world 
began: that we should be saved from our enemies , 
and from the hand of all that hate us : to perform 
the mercy promised to our Fathers, and to remem¬ 
ber his holy covenant: the oath which he swore to 
our father Abraham, that he would grant unto us, 
that tve being delivered from the hand of our ene¬ 
mies, might serve him without fear in holiness 
and righteousness before him all the days of our 
life.” 

Here we see again, that in Luke’s opinion the 
Messiah was not to be merely “a spiritual saviour 
of the souls of men,” but that he was to “ save 
i Israel from their enemies and from the hand, of all 



34 


FIVE PEBBLES 


that hated them,’’ and this too is precisely what 
the prophets teach and the Jews believe. 

Again, from the first ch. of Acts 6. it is evi¬ 
dent, that the primitive Christians did not believe 
that the Messiah was to be merely a spiritual sa¬ 
viour of the souls of men, but that he would per¬ 
form for Israel what was promised by the prophets. 
For the Apostles are represented there as asking 
Jesus, previous to his ascension, saying “Lord 
wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom 
to Israel?” 

The way the writers of the New Testament, 
get over the objection to the Messiahship of Jesus, 
founded on the non-fulfilment by him of the splend- 
ed visions of the prophets relative to the restora¬ 
tion of the dispersion, the punishment of their 
oppressors, and the diffusion of universal happiness 
to'the tribes and to the world, (which they repre¬ 
sent as the consequence of the coming of the 
Messiah) is, not by maintaining that the Messiah 
was to be merely w a spiritual Saviour of the souls 
of men,” but by affirming that Jesus would shortly 
come again into the world to fulfill them. u The 
Lord Jesus,” says the writer of the second Epistle 
to the Thessalonians ch. i. 7,” u shall be revealed 
from Heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming- 
fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God 
and obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. 
Who shall be punished with everlasting destruc¬ 
tion from the presence of our Lord, and from the 
glory of his power: when he shall come to be 
glorified in his saints, and to be admired of all 
them that believe.”* 

* Paul in the first Epistle to the Thessalonians appears to 
say, as he affirms “by the word of the Lord,” that the 
second coming of Jesus to do all this, should take place du¬ 
ring the life time of the generation to whom he was writing ; 
for he says 1 Thess- ch. iv. 15, speaking of the Chris- 


FROM THE BROOK. 


35 


Again, in the xii. ch. of the Revelations, Jesus 
is apparantly spoken of as destined “ to rule all na¬ 
tions with a rod of iron.” And in the ii. ch. Jesus 
is represented as saying, that “ he that overcom- 
eth and keepeth my words unto the end, to him 
will I give power over the nations ; and he shall 
rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a 
potter shall they be broken to shivers even as I re« 
ceived of my Father,” v. 26, and lastly, not to be 
tedious, there is a passage in the xix. ch. of 
Revelations, which proves decisively against Mr. 
Everett, that the primitive Christians had even 
more sanguinary ideas of the vengeance of the 
Messiah upon the wicked of the earth, than are 
even entertained by the Jews. Jesus is there des¬ 
cribed thus, “ I saw Heaven opened, and behold a 

tians who had died before he wrote, tc this we say unto you 
by the word of the Lord , that we which are alive and re¬ 
main unto the coming of the Lord, shall not prevent them 
which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from 
Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and 
the trump of God; and the dead in Christ should rise first. 
Then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up to¬ 
gether with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air. 
and so shall we ever be with the Lord.” 

The Gospels represent Jesus as saying, that there w r ere 
some of that generation who should not taste of death till 
they saw him come in the manner that Paul describes. For 
Mark, in the xiii. ch. of his Gospel, after representing Jesus 
as prophecying the destruction of Jerusalem, says that his 
discourse at that time went on as follows. 

“ But in those days after that tribulation , (i. e. after the siege 
and destruction of Jerusalem) the sun shall be darkened, and 
the moon shall not give her light. And the stars of Heaven 
shall fall, and the powers that are in Heaven shall be shaken 
<< Arid then shall they see the son of man coming in the clouds -with 
great power and glory , and then shall he send his angels , and shall 
get her together his elect from the four -winds, from the uttermost part 
theearth to the uttermost part of Heaven. Verily I say unto you, that 
this generation shall not pass dll all these things be done , Heav¬ 
en and earth shall pass aw r ay, but my words shall not pass 
away.’* Mark, xiii. 24, &c. 



36 


TIVE PEBBLES 


white horse; and he that set upon him was called 
Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth 
judge and make war ; and out of his mouth goeth a 
sharp sword, that with it he should smite the na¬ 
tions ; and he shall rale them with a rod of iron, 
and he treadeth the wine press of the fierceness of 
the wrath oj Almighty Godf v. 11, 15. Some idea 
of the slaughter meant by the writer of the Revela¬ 
tions by “treading the wine press of the fierceness 
of the wrath of Almighty God,” may be under¬ 
stood from ch. xiv. 20, where it is represented 
that the blood of men came out of this wine press 
“ by the space of a thousand and six hundred fur¬ 
longs !!” 

I suppose that the reader is quite satisfied by 
what has been adduced, that Mr Everet’s idea of 
the Messiah’s being merely “ a spiritual saviour of 
the souls of men, ” is equally rejected by the Old 
Testament and the New, and since Mr Everett 
does not and cannot pretend, that Jesus during the 
long space of 1800 years has fulfilled the predictions 
relating to the Messiah in a literal sense, which is 
the sense in which they must be fulfilled in order to 
he made good, Mr. Everett is left without better 
proof of the Messiahship of Jesus than hare opinion 
only , which attaineth not to any certainty. 

Mr. Everett supposes that a mere u Preacher of 
righteousness,” is capable of fulfilling all the pre¬ 
dictions of the Messiah, which represent him as 
putting an end to all wickedness and misery 
throughout the World. How absurd! there never 
was, a better or greater u Preacher of righteous¬ 
ness,” than Jesus Christ himself, and what did he 
effect among the people of his age ? the Gospels 
say, that they whipped him, and nailed him to a 
cross. There has been since his time, for eighteen 
hundred years, I know not how many millions of 
w preachers of righteousness,” and what have they 


FROM THE BROOK. 37’ 

effected? look at the history of the decline and fall 
of the Roman Empire: look at the histories of 
mankind for the last 400 years. What scenes do 
they for the most part, present to the shocked con- 
templation ! are they not generally a complication 
of folly, madness, and devilism, worthy of being re¬ 
corded in triumph by the evil one himself, in letters 
of blood and infernal fire ? 

What success have the “ Preachers of righteous¬ 
ness,” of the present day? Do not these pious and 
good men, and pious and good they generally speak¬ 
ing undoubtedly are, do they not feel themselves 
obliged to tell you, that such is the depravity of 
human nature, that “teaching and preaching are 
all in vain;” that they are wearying themselves in 
“ throwing pearls before swine,” who receive them 
with a grunt, and “ trample them under their 
feet ?” 

Does not Mr. Everett himself tell us p. 80, that 
“ it is too true that the mighty passions, which agi¬ 
tate the public intercourse of the world, are almost 
beyond the direct reach of moral means,” i. e. of 
the “ Preachers of righteousness.” 

How then can he expect that a mere “ Preacher 
of righteousness,” is capable of subduing these 
“ mighty passions,” whose existence is incompati¬ 
ble with peace and happiness, and fulfilling the 
predictions relating to the Messiah ? No, all his¬ 
tory and experience testify that no merely human 
power can put an end to them. It must be done 
by the strong and armed hand of Heaven. 

Then, and not till then, shall exiled “justice 
look down from Heaven, and righteousness and 
peace shall kiss each other.” Then, and not till 
then, shall “ the wicked cease from troubling;” and 
the afflicted enjoy happiness. 

“ These be the last words of David, David the 
son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up 
D 


38 


FIVE PEBBLES 


on high, the Messiah of the God of Jacob, (See 
the Heb.) and the sweet Psalmist of Israel; -The 
spirit of Jehovah spake by me , and his -word is in 
my tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of 
Israel spake to me, he that ruleth over mankind 
(see the Heb.) shall be just, ruling in the fear of 
God : And he shall be as the light of the morning, 
when the sun riseth, even a' morning without 
clouds ; as the tender grass springing out of the 
earth by clear shining after rain. 

But the sons of Belial shall be all of them as 
thorns thrust away, because they cannot be taken 
with hands. But the man that shall touch them 
must be fenced -with iron , and the staff of a spear ; 
and they shall be utterly burned with fire in the 
same place.” 2 Sam. ch. xxiii. 



PEBBLE III 


Let us, however, follow Mr. Everett in the 
Consideration of those prophecies, which he says p. 
83, 46 are really to be regarded as proofs of the 
(Christian) religion.” 

It is not necessary for me to say any thing fur¬ 
ther, in defence of the interpretation* of the pro¬ 
phecy in Deut. xviii. 15, contained in my first 
publication, where I consider it as referring to a 
succession of inspired messengers from God to the 
Israelites ; because Mr. Everett allows , that “ in 
granting that this interpretation is correct, we 
should only follow the example of the most learned 
and judicious Christian interpreters,” p. 84. 

I will pass therefore to the passage in the Psalm 
xvi. 10. “ Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell," 

(i. e. the place of the departed,) nor suffer thy 
Saints (or thy pious ones 5 *) to see destruction 
as I have translated it. Mr. Everett maintains 
that the word translated by me in this place “ des¬ 
truction,” sometimes means u corruption.” Grant¬ 
ed, but Mr. Everett will not deny that the original 
word sometimes signifies w destruction,” and as- 

* Mr. Uverett has produced some authorities which make it ■ 
doubtful whether the genuine reading in this place was “ thy 
saints or thy pious ones,” in the plural, or thy “saint, or thy 
pious one ; in the singular. The matter is not worth disputing 
about, if it be made evident that the Psalm refers to David. 


40 


FIVE PEBBXES 


suredly therefore I have as good a right to trans¬ 
late it my way, as he has to interpret it to signify 
u corruption.”* I maintain, moreover, that I have 
a better right in this place to translate it w destruc¬ 
tion,” than he has to render it w corruption ;” if 
the whole psalm manifestly relates to David, as is 
I think evident from the context, whose body 
underwent the natural decomposition occasioned by 
death ; which therefore necessitates the transla¬ 
tion I have given if the psalm relates to David 
which I think is evident. 

“ I have set the Lord always before me, because 
he is at my right hand / shall not be moved. There¬ 
fore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth, my 
flesh shall also rest in hope: for thou wilt not leave 
my soul in hell, nor suffer thy saints (or thy pious 
one) to see destruction. Thou wilt show me the 
path of life, in thy presence is fulness of joy, and 
at thy right hand there are pleasures for ever more.” 
Since therefore the psalm evidently relates to 
David, I do not see how it is a prophecy of Jesus’ 
♦rising from the dead on the third day after his 
crucifixion, as it is said to have been applied to 
prove, by Peter in the book of Acts ch. ii. 

I would observe also, that the modern German 
Theological scholars, who as Mr. Everett says (p. 
247 . of his work,) “ are supposed to excell in Criti- 

* Mr. Everett p. 87. of his work, in trying to prove that the 
original word signifies “corruption,” has unhappily produced a 
passage which not only proves nothing in his favour, but a great 
deal in mine. “ Therefore, says Daniel, I was left alone, and 
saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me, for 
my comeliness was turned in me into corruption ^“the word here in. 
the original is from the same root as that, in the 16 Psalm transla¬ 
ted by me destruction ?”) and I retained no strength.” Dan. 
x. 8. Most commentators on this passage, I believe, suppose 
that Daniel meant to signify that he was petted at the sight of 
the angel, and that his physical faculties were suspended through 
terror. Does Mr. Everett suppose, that the prophet meant tu 
signify that he was actually putrified at the sight of Gabriel i 


rnos* THE 5R00K. 


41 


cal learning,” do allow and maintain, by the con'* 
fession of Mr. Everett himself p. 247 of his work, 
that this passage in the psalms is not a prophecy ol 
Jesus, no more than any df the others adduced in 
the New Testament from the Old, but that it is 
quoted merely by way of accommodation or allu¬ 
sion. 

I presume therefore that Mr. Everett will cease 
to regard this passage as one of “ the prophecies,” 
which are really to be regarded as proofs of the 
Christian religion. 

The next passage of the Old Testament, which 
Mr. Everett relies on as a prophetical proof of the 
Christian religion, is the 2nd. psalm ; “ why did the 
nations (according to the Heb.) rage, and th zpeoples 
(ac. to the Heb.) imagine a vain thing. The kings 
of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered 
together against Jehovah, and against his Messiah 
saying, let us break their bands asunder, and cast 
away their cords from us,” &c. To the applica¬ 
tion of this prophecy to Jesus, I objected in my 
first publication, on account of these reasons, 1st. 
That “ the nations,” as it is in the original, did 
not assemble to crucify Jesus, as this was done by 
a few soldiers.” To this Mr. Everett replies, p. 
90. of his work, that “ the Apostle (Peter in Acts 
ch. iv. 45,) does not say, they assembled to u cru¬ 
cify him,” their joint opposition was not limited to 
this single act, they were gathered together against 
him. And it is certainly true, that Jesus was an 
object of the united persecution of the nation of 
the Jews, by means of their bigotted priests and. 
furious multitudes, and of the Romans, by means 
of their tributary sovereign Herod, and their Pro- 
consul Pilate.” In reply to this I would observe, 
that the words “ nations,” and “ peoples,” in the 
original of the passage never signified the Jewish 
nation, but are used in the Hebrew Bible to signify 
d 2 


42- 


FIVE PEBBLES 


all other nations but the Jews, or what is expres¬ 
sed by the word u Gentiles.” 

Now it is said in the psalm, that “the nations 
and peoples,” (exclusive*of the Jews for the reason 
above-mentioned) should rage and that “ the kings 
of the earth should stand up, and the rulers (of the 
earth,) take counsel against Jehovah, and against 
his Messiah.” I do not see, therefore, how this 
passage could have been fulfilled by the Romans, 
who were but one nation, by means of their Pro- 
consul Pilate and his soldiers: who (the Romans) 
were so far too from being enraged against Jesus, 
that it is certain, that all the Romans out of Jerusa¬ 
lem, did not even know what was doing against 
him, and Pilate himself was so far from being “ en¬ 
raged,” and “ taking counsel,” against Jesus, that 
he befriended him as far as he dared, and made 
great exertions to save his life. 

Moreover, in the psalm, these “ nations and 
peoples, and kings and rulers,” are represented as 
saying “let us break their bands in sunder, and 
cast away their cords from us.” This passage re¬ 
fers to the Messiah and the Jewish nation taken 
together, whom the Old Testament represents as 
to have “ dominion over all peoples, nations and 
languages,” and that “ the nation and people that 
will not serve them shall perish, yea those nations 
shall be utterly wasted.” Is. lx. # 

* “ Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a two 
edged sword in their hand. To execute vengeance upon the 
nations, and punishments upon the peoples: To bind their kings 
with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; to execute 
upon them the judgment -written ; this honour have all his saints. 
Praise ye Jehovah. Ps. cxlix. This pasaage alludes to the same 
doctrine : there are many in the psalms and prophets of the same 
import. It is but justice however to the Hebrew prophets to 
add, that they hold the balance of justice between Jew and 
Gentile very fairly, in representing that on account of the supe¬ 
rior light vouchsafed to the former, God would punish them 


£R6M THE brook. 


43 


Therefore, these refractory nations and kings 
could not, and actually never have said this of 
Jesus, who was but an individual, to whom the ex¬ 
pression “ their bands and their cords,” cannot ap¬ 
ply : and finally, since Mr. Everett maintains that 
Jesus was “ merely a spiritual saviour of the souls 
of men,” I do not see how he can consider him as 
a character pretending to impose u bands and 
cords,” upon any body. 

2. I had also objected to the application of this 
prophecy to Jesus, because u God has not set 
Jesus as his king upon the holy hill of Sion, (as 
the psalm imports) nor given him the nations for 
his inheritance, nor the uttermost parts of the earth 
for his possession.” To this Mr. Everett, p. 91, 
replies in the usual way, i. e. after interpreting as 
much of the psalm, as he thinks he can make ac¬ 
cord with the history of Jesus, in a literal sense, he 
interprets this passage of the Messiah's being en¬ 
throned on Mount Sion, which he cannot make ac¬ 
cord with it, in a figurative one. The reader must 
judge whether this be fair or reasonable. 

The latter part of the psalm, Mr. Everett con¬ 
tends, was fulfilled by the rapid spread of Chris¬ 
tianity ; and he quotes, in proof of this, some pas¬ 
sages of the Fathers. To this I would reply, that 
those passages of the Fathers are notorious exag¬ 
gerations, and convicted of falsehood by Middle- 
ton in his Free Inquiry. 

And lastly, I would observe, that even those na¬ 
tions who have embraced Christianity, can by no 
means .be called the inheritance or subjects of Je¬ 
sus ; since they have since the days of Constantine 

‘‘double for all their sins;” and that before they shall be ad¬ 
vanced to the eternal supremacy promised them, the most terri¬ 
ble trials and severities shall exterminate the wicked and worthless 
from the nation. 


44 


FIVE PEBBLES 


and the Counsel of Nice renounced his doctrines, 
and perverted his religion into “ a fabulous, irra¬ 
tional and blasphemous superstition,”* for as much 
as all of them, except a handful of Unitarian Chris¬ 
tians, are worshippers of three Divine Beings uni¬ 
ted by an ineffable union ; and by far the greater 
part of them are adorers of idols, images, and pic¬ 
tures.! And if I may, without offence, be allowed 
to express the sincere opinion of my heart upon this 
subject, I would say, that it is my serious belief, 
that if Jesus the son of Mary could return into the 
world, and learn, that his professed followers had 
placed him between the Cherubim, at the right 
hand of the Almighty, worshipping him as “ God 
equal to the Father,’’ as, “ God of God, very God 
of every Godand that by far the greater part 
had also placed Mary his mother on the other side 
of the Deity, worshipping her as “ the mother of 
God !”! he would in my opinion renounce and de- 

* Which is of the same family as the religion of Thibet. The 
Christians believe that God became incarnate in the infant Jesus. 
The Thibetians and Chinese believe that God is incarnate in the 
person of the Grand Lama. And each of them considers the 
other as “ ignorant and deluded idolators.” 

! All the Christians throughout the world, except the Pro¬ 
testants who do not constitute more than a fifth of the Christian 
world, kneel and pray before the crucifix, images and pictures 
of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. Their churches are 
crowded with images and pictures, before which they burn 
lamps, tapers, and incense. The great toe of the right foot of an 
ancient bronze statue of Jupiter, christened St. Peter, in the 
magnificent Church of St. Peter at Rome, is nearly worn off by 
the devout kisses and rubbings of the worshippers of that Saint* 1 
If the spirit of the Unitarian Jew Peter, could animate that 
statue, I believe that the foot of it would have long since kicked 
the teeth down the throat of some of his worshippers. See ap¬ 
pendix, G. G. 

4 That Mary is “ the Mother of God !” is the creed of all the 
Christian sects except the Protestants, and Ne'storians. 

The European and Asiastic Christian churches, except a 
precious handful of Unitarians, appear to act upon the principles 
of the old Samaritans. So these nations feared Jehovah, and 


FROM THE BROOK 


45 


Tiounce them as impious heathens, and possibly 
believe that they were possessed with devils. 

The next passage which Mr. Everett quotes as 
a prophecy of Jesus, is the 2d verse of the 5th chap¬ 
ter of Micah, “ and thou Bethlehem Ephratah, it is 
little to be among the thousands of Judah; out 
of thee shall come forth unto me, him who is to be 
ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been of old, 
from the days of ancient years:” [according to the 
Hebrew.] This I interpreted to signify, not that the 
birth of the Messiah should bezVz Bethlehem, but the 
the descent of the Messiah should be derived from 
Bethlehem, i. e. from Jesse the father of David; (and 
that therefore a future Messiah who should be de¬ 
rived from this family, would fulfd the prophecy ;) 
and this interpretation, I represent as being known 

served their graven images,both their children,and their children’s 
children; as did their Fathers, so do they unto this day.” 2 Kings, 
xvii. 41. Their, religion is as inconsistent and inconsequent 
as the conduct of Nebuchadnezzar ; who “ answered unto 
Daniel, and said, of a truth it is that your God is a God of Gods, 
and a Lord of Lords Dan. ch. ii. 47. And who, notwithstand¬ 
ing, set up an idol of gold, and commanded all peoples, nations, 
and languages to fall down and worship the golden image that 
Nebuchadnezzar the king had set up: and threatened that 
whoso falleth not down and worshippeth should be cast into a 
burning fiery furnace.” ch. iii—and who on another occasion 
“acknowledged and blessed the most high, and praised and 
honoured him that liveth for ever and ever,whose dominion is an 
everlasting dominion, and his kingdom from generation to genera¬ 
tion ch. iv. and who notwithstanding destroyed his Temple, 
and lodged its sacred'vessels in the treasure house of his idol. 
The service of the Christian churches not Protestant resembles 
Bellshazzar’s feast. They drink out of the golden and silver 
vessels, which they have i ‘ taken out of the Temple of the house of 
God -which -was in Jerusalem” and praise the Gods of gold, of sil¬ 
ver, of brass, of wood, and of stone,* which see not, nor hear, 
nor know. And the result of the business, if the Old Testament 
predict the truth, will be, that the mysterious menaces written by 
the figures of God, will be fulfilled in confusion, wo, and des¬ 
truction. . 

* I allude to the crucifixes, images, and pictures of Christ, the 
Virgin Mary and the Saints, with which all Christian churches 
not protestant are filled. 


FIVE PEBBLES 


4.G 

and acknowledged by Hebrew scholars. “ But the 
truth is, says Mr. Everett p. 94, that the original 
word, [translated by me “ shall come forth,”] is fa¬ 
miliarly used of the birth of a man, as 44 Mizraim 
begat Pathrusim, and Casluhim out of xvhom came 
Philistim,” Gen. x. 13, 14. This is a very awk¬ 
ward quotation on the part of Mr. Everett, as it 
says nothing in favour of his views, but directly fa¬ 
vours mine: for Philistim is a word in the plural 
number, and is used in the Hebrew Bible, to ex¬ 
press u the Philistines;” and the word translated 
44 come ” is also in the plural number, see Simon’s 
Hebrew Bible. The passage therefore in Genesis 
x. 13. 14. imports that the Philistines were derived 
or descended from Mizraim. 44 Who the Hebrew 
scholars are, says Mr. Everett, who acknowledge 
this turn of the passage [in Micah,] I know not,” p. 
94 of Mr. Everett’s work. If I were writing in 
Europe or America, I think that I could point them 
out; but if my memory does not deceive me, Gro- 
tius interprets the passage of the derivation of the 
Messiah from Bethlehem : and Mr. Everett will not 
deny that the modern Christian Hebrew scholars of 
Germany, disalloxv that this passage has any refer¬ 
ence to Jesus, and affirm that it is quoted in the 
New Testament, Matthew ii. 5., only by way of 
allusion or accommodation. 

I had however, in order to show that this prophecy 
could not be insisted on by the Christians, said by 
way of argument, that allowing 44 that Bethlehem 
was to be the birth place of the Messiah, what then ? 
will a man’s being born in Bethlehem, be sufficient 
to make him the Messiah foretold by the Hebrew 
prophets!” 

This Mr. Everett seizes hold on in the following 
way, p. 95. 44 Now if we were willing to be consist¬ 
ent, and cling to our principles wherever they carry 
its, it would almost seem that this concession might 


FROM THIS BROOK. 


4Y 

decide the controversy. The Messiah is to be of 
Bethlehem. This reduces to a little span, the number 
of those among whom he can be found. More¬ 
over, Bethlehem is now in ruins, to all moral purpo¬ 
ses its indenty is gone * It is the habitation of 
Turks, of Arabs, of Christians ; and if there be 
any Jews there, none will pretend that the divisions 
of the tribes are preserved among them, so that the 
tribe of David, from whom the Messiah is to arise, 
is known in Bethlehem from the rest. Neither can 
it be argued that hereafter when the Jews are re¬ 
stored, Bethlehem will be repeopled with Jews, the 
family of David be discriminated, and the prophecy 
admit of fulfilment, because Mr. English himself al¬ 
lows it to be the sense of prophecy, that the Mes¬ 
siah shall be born before the restoration. It only 
remains therefore to look back, and to see, of all 
that have appeared in Bethlehem, which has the 
greatest claim to this character.” 

On this reasoning I would observe, 1st, that my 
concession on which it is founded is merely gratui¬ 
tous ; as the words u shall come forth” signify mere¬ 
ly derivation ; 2nd, that Mr. Everett is mistaken in 
supposing that Bethlehem is now in ruins. It is at 
present probably nearly as large and populous as it 
ever was. *3d, Mr. Everett is mistaken, in suppos¬ 
ing that the family of David cannot be traced among 
the Jews. There are at this moment in the world, 
many families alloxved by their bretheren to be de¬ 
scended from David. Should any of the Jews go 
to Bethlehem at any time to come, and have a male 
child born to him in that place, for aught that can be 
known beforehand, that child may be the Messiah 
and the prophecy be fulfilled in Mr. Everett*s sense 

*This is incorrect, Bethlehem is at present one of most popu¬ 
lous cities in Palestine. 


48 


FIVE PEBBLES 


of it; which I repeat cannot be insisted on, as “come 
forth” certainly may signify, and in the case unlucki¬ 
ly quoted by Mr. Everett, (Gen. x. 13.14.) certain¬ 
ly does import, derivation.* 

The next passage, adduced by Mr. Everett, is the 
10th v. of the ix. ch. of Zechariah, M Rejoice great¬ 
ly O ! daughter of Zion, shout O ! daughter of Je¬ 
rusalem : behold thy king cometh unto thee : he is 
just and saved , lowly, and riding upon an ass, and 
upon a colt the foal of an ass.” 

Mr. Everett, after allowing that the Hebrew reads 
u saved” or M preserved,” instead of “ having salva¬ 
tion,” as in the English version, observes, that ma¬ 
ny ancient versions read as in the English Bible. 
Whether the true reading be mine or his, is not of 
any consequence to the question to which this book 
relates. I maintain that a man's riding upon an ass 
into Jerusalem, is not sufficient to prove him the 
Messiah. 

I also repeat that the event predicted, is spoken of 
by the prophet as contemporaneous with the resto¬ 
ration of the division,! and of course could not 
have been fulfilled eighteen hundred years ago. 

* I request the reader to look at the Hebrew of Gen. x. 14. 
which Mr. Everett must have neglected to do; as otherwise I 
cannot account for his having- referred to a passage which direct¬ 
ly establishes my interpretation of the passage in Micali against 
his own. I trust that this little circumstance will induce Mr. Ev¬ 
erett to have a fellow feeling for some errors which he says exists 
in my first publication. He will find some further proofs adduced 
from his book in the course of this work, of the truth of the old 
adage, “ humanwn est err are.” 

t v. 10. of the ix. ch. of Zechariah, “ and I will cut off the cha¬ 
riot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem, and the battle- 
bow shall be cut off; [i. e. there shall be war no more,] and he 
[i. e. the Messiah,] shall speak peace unto the nations: and his 
dominion shall be from sea even to sea, and from the river even 
to the ends of the earth.” Has this been yet fulfilled ? or have 
the nations called Christians, for the last 1800 years, been more 
peaceable than others ? on the contrary, is it not thev who have 
perfectionaled the arts of War and Destruction,' 


FROM THE BROOK. 


4*9 


Mr. Everett tries to shove out this objection, by 
taking for granted, p. 98 of his work, that the chap¬ 
ter of Zechariah in which this prophecy is found, is 
a series of chronological predictions. But I milst 
remind Mr. Everett that this pretention is inadmis¬ 
sible. None of the predictions of the prophets, ex¬ 
cept some in Daniel, are arranged in chronological 
order ; they were delivered by parcels, and at inter¬ 
vals, frequently of some years; and these parcels 
generally have no connexion with each other. Mr, 
Everett’s reasoning upon the assumption here con¬ 
tradicted, is therefore inadmissible. 

Finally, the German Biblical Scholars so fre¬ 
quently mentioned, deny that this was a prediction 
of Jesus, and affirm that it is quoted by the Evan¬ 
gelists merely by way of accommodation. 

The next passage adduced is Zechariah xii. 10., 
a And I will pour upon the house of David, and up¬ 
on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace 
and supplications, and they shall look upon [or to¬ 
wards] me* whom they have blasphemed, [or pier¬ 
ced,] and they shall mourn for him as one mourn- 
eth for an only son.” 

* «I render me” says Mr. Everett, “ because I cheerfully allow 
with Eichorn and De Rossi in loco, that it is supported by most 
Authorities,” Why then does Mr. Everett abuse and insult me, p. 
1-03. 104., for neglecting to notice the other reading he mentions, 
which he considers not to be the true one ! If it be erroneous., 
what is it good for, and if it be false, how has the inspired Evan¬ 
gelist quoted a false reading, (Gospel according to John ch. xix, 
34. &c.,) in order to make out a prophecy ? 

I had objected in my first publication that the assertion of Ste¬ 
phen, when filled with the Holy Ghost, that “ When Abraham 
went out of the land of the Chaldees, he dwelt in Ilaran, from 
thence, after his father was dead, God led him unto this land in 
which ye dwell.” Acts vii. 4., directly contradicts the chapter in 
Genesis, where the story of Abraham’s leaving Ilaran is related; 
for it is certain from thence, that Abraham left his father Zerali in 
Haran alive when he departed, and that he did not die till many 
vears afterwards.” 

E 



50 


FIVE PEBBLES 


The meaning of this prophecy is obscure. The 
word translated u pierced” in the English version, 
may also in the opinion of Grotius, and I add 
of Rosenmuller too, as quoted by Mr. Everett in the 
104. p. of his book, be best rendered u blasphe¬ 
med or reproached.” It may refer to the time when, 
according to the Old Testament, the hearts of the 
house of Israel shall be cleansed from sin, and they 

On this Mr. Everett observes, “ The difficulty is this, that Ze- 
rail is said in Genesis ch. 11. to have been seventy years old when 
Abraham was born, and to have lived two hundred and five years. 
But Abraham is also said to have left iiaran when he was aged 
seventy-five years [Genesis xii. 14.]; at which time of course his 
Father v r as one hundred and forty-five years old, and therefore 
must have lived sixty years after his son Abraham left Iiaran, 
But Stephen in the passage in question says, that Abraham left 
Iiaran after his Father ivas dead. Now this direct contradiction is 
quite cleared up by the Samaritan copies of the Pentateuch^ 
which give the whole age of Zerah exactly 145 years : and con¬ 
firm the account of Stephen, that Abraham waited till the de¬ 
cease of his father, and then immediately left Iiaran. Ilad Mr. 
English no light upon this subject, but what he derived from his 
unlettered Rabbi,^or even from the Commentators whose “ trou¬ 
bles” he finds or feigns, one could not blame him for passing 
over this fact in silence. But I remember well the time, when 
Mr. English collected the text of the Samaritan copy as it stauds 
in Kennicott’s Bible, for the express purpose of ascertaining the 
diversity of the Hebrew and Samaritan texts. To suppress now 
a reading from this copy, which entirety removes his objection, 
argues a deplorable forgetfulness, ora willful fraud ; and it would, 
be a piece of affectation in me to speak of it in milder terms.” p„ 
340. of Mi\ Everetts work. 

To put this courteous language to the blush, it is only necessary 
to observe, that the most distinguished Hebrew Critics [I think, 
if my memory does not deceive me, I may name De Rossi, feu? 
instance,] adhere to the reading of the Hebrew bible as the true 
one, and have not suffered themselves to be swayed by the strong 
Christian motives which have biassed Mr. Everett in this instance. 
Stephen, who was a Jew, would also never have given the prefer¬ 
ence to a reading of the Pentateuch of the Samaritan’s, which also 
abounds with blunders. The Gentile author of the Book of Acts 
probably fabricated the speech. 


FHOM THE BltOOK 


51 


sK5.il turn to God “ with their whole heart and with 
all their souls.” as predicted by Moses. 

I conclude with observing, that this passage, 
quoted in the New Testament; John ch. xix. has 
long since ceased to be considered as a prophecy oi 
Jesus by the German Critics, and is believed by 
them, to have been adduced in the gospel merely by 
way of allusion. (See Rosenmuller’s observations 
in his notes on the passage.) 

I am afraid that the reader has found these dis¬ 
cussions rather tedious, and am therefore happy to 
be at liberty to proceed to the consideration of the 
three famous prophecies of Jacob, Isaiah, and Daniel 

“ The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a 
Law-giver from between his feet for ever; for Shilo 
shall come, and to him shall the obedience of the 
peoples be .” Gen. xlix. 10. So I maintain the 
passage should be translated. 

On this prediction I observed, (Grounds of Chris¬ 
tianity Examined p.43. as quoted by Mr. Everett.) 
“ That though this prophecy is allowed by the Jews 
to refer to their Messiah, yet it does not define, noi 
limit the time of his coming. For that it is perfect¬ 
ly evident to all who will look at the place in the 
Hebrew Bible, that it is pointed to read, not “ the 
.sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a Law¬ 
giver from between his feet until Shilo come;” but 
‘‘the sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a 
Lawgiver from between his feet jor ever; for Shilo 
shall come, and to him shall the gathering of the 
peoples be.” So that the prophecy does not inti¬ 
mate that the Messiah should come before the scep¬ 
tre be departed from Judah: but that it should not de¬ 
part for ever, but shall be restored when Shilo comes.” 

On this Mr. Everett remarks, “now the points , 
commonly so called, have nothing to do with the 
division of a sentence into its members, or with 


52 


FIVE PEBBLES 


what we call punctuation; but Mr. English intended 
to intimate, that according to the accents , the verse 
should be divided as he proposes.” (p. 110, of Mr. 
Everett’s work.) In return for this friendly at¬ 
tempt to set me right, I would beg of Mr. Everett 
to peruse the following extract from the celebrated 
Alting’s Treatise on Hebrew punctuation, which 
he will probably look over with blushing cheeks'. 
u Purictorum appellatione venit, quicquid in Iiebrsea 
Scriptura occurrit prater literas. Sunt vero punc- 
torum genera tria ; unum eorum quce soman mode- 
rant ur; alterum illorum, qute Tonnm regunt, tertium 
mere Criticorum est quse ad crisin masoretharuin 
solummoclo pertinent.” p. 9. edit. Septima. 

I do not think it necessary, to enter with Mr. 
Everett into the intricate dispute about the Idebrew 
accents, since he represents that they are of no au¬ 
thority in deciding the question between him and 
me, and because I think he will therefore not deny, 
that disregarding their authority, the passage will, 
bear the rendering I have given it. 

I shall therefore proceed to establish the interpre¬ 
tation I have given of the passage in Genesis, 1st, 
by endeavouring to show% that Mr. Everett’s inter¬ 
pretation would convict the prophecy of falsehood, 
and 2dly. by showing that the interpretation I have 
given, is confirmed by the express declaration of 
God himself. 

This prophecy was delivered by Jacob before 
there was any king in Judah. # The sceptre did de¬ 
part from Judah, and with a vengeance too,, at 
the dethronement and captivity of Zedekiah, and 
the destruction of Jerusalem by the Chaldeans : 
consequently if the sceptre was not to depart from 
Judah till Shilo came, the Messiah ought to have 
appeared before the dethronement of Zedekiah ; as 
he certainly did not appear before that event, the 


FROM THE BROOK. 




prophecy, according to Mr. Everett’s sensible in¬ 
terpretation, would be falsified. 

2. The sceptre never has been restored to Judah 
since the dethronement of Zedekiah ; because the 
tribe of Judah, since that period, have been in sub¬ 
jection to the Babylonians, the Persians, the Syri¬ 
ans, the Romans, and all the world. Mr. Everett 
maintains that the sceptre of Judah was in the hands 
of that tribe during the time that it was held by the 
Romans who were of the tribe of Levi and the He- 
rods who were Idumccans. This idea appears to 
me absurd, but I shall not give myself the trouble 
to oppose it by argument, as it can be set aside by 
-the express declaration of God, as reported by Eze¬ 
kiel, ch. xxi. 26. Speaking of Zedekiah and his 
dethronement, the prophet represented the Deity, 
as saying, u thus saith the Lord God, remove the 
diadem, take off the crown ; this shall not be the 
same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is 
high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn it, (i. e. 
the crown or sceptre of Judah,) and it shall be no 
more until he comes whose right it is , and I will give 
it him.” 

Here the Deity expressly declares, that from the 
dethronement of Zedekiah; the crown of Judah 
should be no more till the coming of the Messiah to 
whom he would give it. The Asmonasans and the 
Herods cannot therefore be considered as having- 
held it, as Mr. Everett supposes. 5 * 

* Mr. Everett, in a note to p. 194 of his work, speaks of Sala- 
tl iel and Zorobabel as succeeding-to the “ throne” of Judah after 
the Babylonish captivity. Any one who will read the books of Ezra 
and Nehemiali with attention, will be satisfied that this language 
is quite ridiculous: forasmuch as that Salathiel was a captive 
slave at Babylon, and Zorobabel was but at best the Governor of 
Judea for the King of Persia, and all the Jews under his command 
were subject to the orders of Tabnai and S’netlier Boznia “ Go 


56 


FIVE PEBBLES 


In order to be enabled to give a fair interpretation 
of it, it is first of all necessary to give a fair trans¬ 
lation of it from the original Hebrew, which is what 
has not been done in the English version; foras¬ 
much as there are therein not less than thirteen 
mistranslations. 

The following, I believe, will be considered as a 
just representation of the original as it stands in the 
Hebrew Bible. 

“ Behold my servant shall deal prudently, he shall 
be exalted, and extolled, and be very high. As 
many as were astonished at thee; his visage was 
so marred more than any other man, and his form 
more than the sons of man, (or Adam,) so shall he 
sprinkle many nations ; the kings shall shut their 
mouths at him ; for that -which had not been told 
them shall they see ; and that which they had not 
heard shall they consider.* 

“ Who hath believed what we heard ? (or what 
was reported to us) and to whom was the arm of 
Jehovah revealed ? For he grew up before him as 
a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground. 
He had no form nor comeliness j and when we saw 
him there was no beauty that we should desire him. 
He was despised and the outcast of men; a man of 
sorrows and familiar with grief ;f and we hid as it 
were our faces from him, (or, as one that hid his 
face from us,) he was despised and esteemed not. 
Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried (away) 

are successful, I shall no longer doubt that it was possible for the 
Devil Asmodus to have been corked up in a bottle by the hard 
words of a conjurer. 

* Or « soliloquize upon,” the original word in the Hebrew is. 
used in this sense in Is. ch. xiv. 16. 

t “ Thou hast made us the offscouring and refuse in the midst 
of the peoples,” says Jer. Lam. ch. iii. 45. 


from the brook:. 


5? 

our sorrows.* * * § Yet did we esteem him stricken* 
smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded 
through our transgressions, he was bruised through 
our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was 
upon him, and with his stripes we are healed, 
( lC healing is to us,” Hebr.) All we like sheep have' 
gone astray ; we have turned every one to his own 
way ; and Jehovah hath caused to light (or “ meet”) 
upon him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, 
and he was afflicted, yet he would not open his 
mouth ; he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, 
and as a sheep before her sheerers is dumb, so he 
would not open his mouth. He was taken from 
prison and from judgment, and who would medi¬ 
tate [or consider sufficiently] his generation ? [or 
who shall declare his generation.] For he was cut 
off out of the land of the living : through the trans¬ 
gression of my people was he smitten: [“ smiting 
was to him,” Hebr.] and he appointed his grave with 
the wicked, and with the richf in his deaths.\ Al¬ 
though he had done no violence, neither was any 
deceit in his mouth, yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise 
him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt. 
make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his 
seed, he shall prolong his days,§ and the pleasure 

* The prophet here compares Israel to the scape goat, who had 
the sins of the people laid upon him, and was banished into the 
wilderness. 

\ Or “fierce oppressor See Eichorn’s Lex. inloc. 

t ‘fin deaths often” says Paul, meaning terrible dangers or 
sufferings. 

§ Mr. Everett in his zeal to catch me at a fault with regard to 
this prophecy of Isaiah, has liimself stumbled and fallen. I had 
maintained in my first work, in reference to this passage,, that of 
the subject of this prophecy it is said, “ He shall see his seed and 
shall prolong his days,” and that therefore it could not relate to 
Jesus who had no posterity. Mr. Everett in his remarks upon 
this p. 147 of his work, spiritualizes the word “ seed,” and says it 
^elates, to the church, and he exclaims against me as follows, p, 


56 


FIVE PEBBLES 


In order to be enabled to give a fair interpretation 
of it, it is first of all necessary to give a fair trans¬ 
lation of it from the original Hebrew, which is what 
has not been done in the English version j foras¬ 
much as there are therein not less than thirteen 
mistranslations. 

The following, I believe, will be considered as a 
just representation of the original as it stands in the 
Hebrew Bible. 

u Behold my servant shall deal prudently, he shall 
be exalted, and extolled, and be very high. As 
many as were astonished at thee ; his visage was 
so marred more than any other man, and his form 
more than the sons of man, (or Adam,) so shall he 
sprinkle many nations ; the kings shall shut their 
mouths at him ; for that which had not been told 
them shall they see; and that which they had not 
heard shall they consider.* 

“ Who hath believed what we heard ? (or what 
was reported to us) and to whom was the arm of 
Jehovah revealed? For he grew up before him as 
a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground. 
He had no form nor comeliness ; and when we saw 
him there was no beauty that we should desire him. 
He was despised and the outcast of men; a man of 
sorrows and familiar with grief ;f and we hid as it 
were our faces from him, (or, as one that hid his 
face from us,) he was despised and esteemed not. 
Surely he hath borne our griefs and carried (away) 

are successful, I shall no longer doubt that it was possible for the 
Devil Asmodus to have been corked up in a bottle by the hard 
words of a conjurer. 

* Or “ soliloquize upon,” the original word in the Hebrew is. 
used in this sense in Is. ch. xiv. 16. 

f “Thou hast made us the offscouring and refuse in the midst, 
ol the peoples,” says Jer. Lam. ch. iii. 45. 


from the brook:. 


S? 


our sorrows.* * * § Yet did we esteem him stricken* 
smitten of God and afflicted. But he was wounded 
through our transgressions, he was bruised through 
our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was 
upon him, and with his stripes we are healed, 
(“ healing is to us,” Hebr.) All we like sheep have' 
gone astray ; we have turned every one to his own 
way ; and Jehovah hath caused to light (or “ meet”) 
upon him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, 
and he was afflicted, yet he would not open his 
mouth ; he was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, 
and as a sheep before her sheerers is dumb, so he 
would not open his mouth. lie was taken from 
prison and from judgment, and who would medi¬ 
tate [or consider sufficiently] his generation ? [or 
who shall declare his generation.] For he was cut 
off out of the land of the living : through the trans¬ 
gression of my people was he smitten: [ u smiting 
was to him,” Hebr.] and he appointed his grave with 
the wicked, and with the richf in his deaths.\ Al¬ 
though he had done no violence, neither was any 
deceit in his mouth, yet it pleased Jehovah to bruise 
him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shaft, 
make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his 
seed, he shall prolong his davs,§ and the pleasure 


* The prophet here compares Tsraclto tire scape goat, who had 
the sins of the people laid upon him, and was banished into the 
wilderness. 

| Or “ fierce oppressor See Eichorn’s Lex. inloc. 

$ «fln deaths often” says Paul, meaning terrible dangers or 
sufferings. 

§ Mr. Everett in his zeal to catch me at a fault with regard to 
this prophecy of Isaiah, has himself stumbled and fallen. I had 1 
maintained in my first work, in reference to this passage,, that of 
the subject of this prophecy it is said, “ He shall see his seed and 
shall prolong his days,” and that therefore it could not relate to 
Jesus who had no posterity. Mr. Everett in his remarks upon; 
this p. 14 7 of his work, spiritualizes the word “ seed,” and says it 
yelates to the church, and he exclaims against me as follows, p, 


FIVE PEBBLES 


o'S 

of Jehovah shall prosper in his hand. He shall see 
[the fruit] of the travail of his soul, and shall be 
satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous ser¬ 
vant make many righteous, for he shall bear [away] 
their iniquities.* Therefore will I divide him a 
portion with the great: and he shall divide the spoil 
with the strong, because he hath made naked his 
life unto death ; and he was numbered with the 
transgressors, and he bare the sin of many, and 
made intercession for the transgressors.” Is. from 
the 13th. v. of the 52d. ch. to the end of the 53d. 

It is an acknowledged principle of sound criti¬ 
cism, that the same expressions in the same author, 
are to be understood always in the same sense, un¬ 
less the context makes it plainly evident that ano¬ 
ther sense is intended. Let us, therefore, first of 
all, examine the chapters of Isaiah preceding the 

147. “What indolent carelessness it is to say that the word seed,' 
shall not be spiritualized here, when the very next verse says, he 
shall see the travail of his soul.” “What poor mortals we 
are,” says Sir Hugh ! If Mr. Everett will look at the Hebrew, he 
will find that the “ indolent carlessness” he speaks of, was not mine 
but his; for the Hebrew word translated travail, has no reference' 
whatever to childbearing, but signifies fearful toil, or painful distress. 
The English word travail, in the time of the translators of the 
Bible had this signification. They have employed it in this sig- 
nlfication in the passages following : “ And Moses told his father- 
ir.-law all that the Lord had done unto Pharoah and to the Egyp¬ 
tians for Israel’s sake, and all the travail that had come upon them 
by the Way.” Ex. ch. xviii. 8. Again, “this sore travail hath God 
given to the sons of men to be exercised therewith.” Eccles. i, 
Ub As Mr. Everett says, p. 114 of his Work, “ It is good to be 
positive but better to be correct; and the reader I doubt not will 
agree with me, that such dogmatical blundering as this is prevent-, 
ed from being offensive only as it is ludicrous.” 

* The prophet represents here, that Israel should be to the na¬ 
tions what Aaron was to the Jews. Aaron was considered as 
bearing away the sins of the Jews on the day of atonement. « Ye 
shall be named the priests of Jehovah, and men shall call you the> 
ministers of our God.” Is. ch. lxi. 6. 


TROM THE BROOJC, 


o9 


extract, in order to understand who he means by 
a God’s servant.” 

In the 49th. of Isaiah, v. 3. it is said, “ Thou art 
my servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified.’ 1 
In ch. xlviii. 20. “ The Lord hath redeemed his ser¬ 
vant Jacob.” In ch. xlv. 4. “For Jacob my ser¬ 
vant’s sake, and. Israel mine elect.” In,ch. xliv. 
l.“ Yet hear now, O Jacob my servant, and Is¬ 
rael whom I have chosen: fear not O Jacob, my 
servant.” v. 2. “ Remember these O Jacob and Is¬ 
rael, for thou art my servant. I have formed thee, 
thou art my servant O Israel, thou shalt not be for¬ 
gotten of me.” v. 21. 

u Ye are my witnesses saith the Lord, and my 
servant whom I have chosen.” ch. xliii. 10. See 
also the whole of ch. xlii. “ Thou Israel art my ser¬ 
vant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abra¬ 
ham my friend.” ch. xli. 8. 

There can be no doubt therefore, that by “ my 
servant,” mentioned in the first part of the prophe- 
l cy quoted from Isaiah, and by u my righteous ser¬ 
vant,” in the latter part of it, that “ God’s servant 
Israel’’ must be understood to be meant, provided 
there be nothing in the context to make it necessary 
to resort to some other interpretation. Mr. Ever¬ 
ett says that there is something in the context, which 
forbids the application of this prophecy to “ God’s 
servant Israel.” Let us then examine the reasons 
■on which this assertion is founded. 

He says 1st, p. 136 of his work, that the subject 
of this prophecy is spoken of as “ passive and un¬ 
resisting;” and he exclaims, “The Jews passive 
and unresisting !” They are the most obstinate and 
unyielding of the tribes of the earth, and have re¬ 
sisted the arm of power, and the lapse of time, 
which have crushed all other nations into oblivion,’ 1 


$Q 


i'lVE PEBBLES 


The prophecy speaks of their non-resistance to 
oppression , and Mr. Everett tells us, to contradict 
this, that “ they have resisted the arm of power, 
and the lapse of time, which have crushed all other 
nations into oblivion.” This seems to me to be ir¬ 
relevant. 

w They ‘ afflicted and complained not !’ their com¬ 
plaints have been fiercer than their sufferings have 
.been cruel.” Is this true ? Does Mr. Everett really 
believe it to be true ? Does not all the world know 
it to be false ?# 

“They have done no iniquity ?” When no ini¬ 
quity ? Not in the days of Isaiah their own prophet, 
who cries, “ Ah ! sinful nation, people laden with 
iniquity, seed of evil doers.” Not in the days of 
Josephus their own historian, who sets forth scenes 
of depravity which turn common wickedness into 
virtue, and declares u that the earth would have 
swallowed them, if the Romans had not swept them 
from its face ?” No iniquity in the ages since, 
throughout the cities of the dispersion, where they 
are proverbially dishonest, and professedly unfaith¬ 
ful.” &c. &c. 

Now all this eloquent invective can be set aside 
so far as it affects my application of this prophecy 
by this simple remark; that this prophecy neither 
relates to the wicked Jews of the time of Isaiah, nor 
of Josephus, nor the ages since, but refers to w God’s 
servant Israel ,” i. e. not to the rebellious and repro¬ 
bate of the Jewish nation, but to those of the house 

* Have their complaints been “fiercer” than the flames of the 
piles of Madrid, Lisbon, Paris, Italy, Germany, and England, in 
which thousands of them have been burnt to ashes ? For shame ! 
Mr. Everett. The recording angel may drop a tear upon what 
you have written, not to blot it out, but in compassion for the 
miseries for which you seem to think words of “ complaint” arc 
an equivalent. 


from the brook. 


61 


of Jacob, who have, who do, and who shall adhfere 
to God’s law, and obey his commandments ; for no 
others of them will God acknowledge as “ his ser¬ 
vants.”* 

I would also observe, that the stress which Mr. 
'Everett lays upon the phrase “ no iniquity,” shows 
either great carelessness, or great ignorance of the 
idiom of the Hebrew Scriptures ; because every 
man, familiar with those writings, knows that this 
expression is one of those called Hebreisms, which 
must be understood in a restrained sense. In proof 
of which, and a decisive one too, I would refer him 
to the prophecy of Balaam, recorded, Num. ch. xxii. 
21. where Balaam exclaims in his prophetic en¬ 
thusiasm , “ He [i. e. God.] hath not beheld iniquity 
in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Is¬ 
rael.” 

Now I suppose that the 53d. of Isaiah, is a re¬ 
presentation of what may be the reflections of the 
nations, who have despised and persecuted “ God’s 
servant Israel,” through the influence of the preju¬ 
dices of their mistaken religion, butwho had become 
sensible of their error by seeing the tremendous 
interference of God himself in their behalf, predict¬ 
ed over and over again by the prophets as to hap- 

* Mr. Everett, after having poured forth what is quoted above, 
very consistently adds in a note to p. 137, “ I cheerfully agree 
with one of the most active benefactors of the Jewish nation, who 
while he acknowledges these facts, charges the blame of them to 
the Christians. ” Very true, and truly I do not know, what right 
one man has to trample another into the mire, and then abuse him 
for being dirty. Mr. Everett remarks upon the same subject, p. 210, 
“ Bowed down with universal scorn, they have been called secret 
anti sullen; cut off from pity and charity, they have been thought 
selfish and unfeeling, and are summoned to believe on the Prince 
of Peace by ministers clothed with terror and death.” What an 
unconscious comment from the pen of a Christian on the words 
of the prophet. “ He was despised and the outcast of mea, a 
man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering, and we hid as it were 
our faces from him ; he was despised and we esteemed him not.” 

F 


62 


FIVE PEBBLES 


pen. The natural consequence of this conviction 
in the minds of those nations, would be a revulsion 
of the feelings to the opposite extreme . They would 
exaggerate the merits, and extenuate the demerits 
of “ God’s servant.” They would reflect with as¬ 
tonishment and commiseration on their past suffer¬ 
ings. “ We considered them,” they might exclaim* 
“ as a God-abandoned race, and devoted to wretch¬ 
edness by him for having crucified their king. But 
instead of being the victims of God’s wrath, they 
were wounded through our cruelty, they were bruis¬ 
ed through our iniquitous treatment. It is we who 
have sinned more than they. We having gone 
astray in our ignorance, being without the know¬ 
ledge of God and his law. How passive and un¬ 
resisting were they! they were oppressed, they 
were afflicted, and complained not: when through 
false accusations and mistaken cruelty, they were 
plundered and condemned to die, they went like a 
lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before the 
shearer is dumb, so they opened not their mouth. 
They were taken from the dungeon to be slain ; they 
were wantonly massacred, and every man was their 
toe; and the cause of the sufferers who condescend¬ 
ed to examine ? They had done no iniquity to merit 
this : for their adherence to their faith, which we 
charged upon them as a crime, we now see to be 
approved of by their God, as an acceptable instance 
of unexampled perseverance in the cause of truth.”^ 


* I have had the satisfaction to find, since my return to Ameri¬ 
ca, that the distinguished Christian Hebraist, Rosenmuller, in 
his notes on the Old Testament, maintains as I do, that the 53d. 
of Isaiah refers not to Christ, but to the Hebrew nation, of which 
the following extract from the work referred to may serve as 
proof. “ In tot. V. T. locis Messias tarn variis modis describatur, 
tamen ne unicum quidem vestigium deprehenditur unde collegere 
jure posset existimasse veteres Hsebreos Messiam quern expecta- 
bant talia esse perpessurum qua mimstrum, divinum hac pencopa , 
[Is. 53.] descriptum perpessum esse legimus. Ubicunque' vel in 
Psalmis vel in prophetarum libris de Messia agitur semper nobis 


TROM THE BROOK* 


6 


Mr. Everett proceeds, p. 145, u If any thing 
needs be added, the following observation is import 
tant , viz. that there is one passage so clearly inap¬ 
plicable to the Jewish nation, and so totally incon¬ 
gruous with the rest of the interpretation, that Mr. 
English passes it over without even the attempt of 
an explanation. It is this : in a part of the prophe¬ 
cy which he puts into the mouth of the Gentiles we 
read, “ for [the Hebrew I must remind Mr. Ever¬ 
ett reads “ by or through,”] the transgressions of 
MY PEOPLE was he stricken.” This Mr. English 
paraphrases “ for [it should have been “ by or 
through”] the thoughtless crimes of my people he 
suffered. But what the Gentiles could mean by 
w MY PEOPLE” he does not say, and this difficul¬ 
ty is fatal to the whole interpretation.” 

I will presently show Mr. Everett, that this for¬ 
midable objection, so emphatically announced, is 
after all a mere man in buckram : and I am almost 
sorry that in doing this, I shall be obliged to expose 
one more proof of Mr. Everett’s having neglected 
-the study of u the beggarly elements,” in order to 
devote himself, without distraction, to the under¬ 
standing of the delectable types and allegories of the 
New Testament. Mr. Everett certainly is a scho* 
lar and a man of talents, but he does not perfectly 
know, nor will understand, the contents of the Old 
Testament ; and the above objection is a proof of it. 

He maintains, that the expression “ my people,” 
could not be used by a Gentile', and that therefore 
ray whole interpretation of the prophecy in Isaiah, 
js fatally affected by his objection.—I request Mr. 
Everett to have the goodness to turn to the book 
of Ruth ch i. 16., where he will find this Gentile A 

proponitur imago potcntissimi regis, felicissimi herois, gloriossis- 
simi reipublicae statoris, coloribus ab imperii Davidici aut Salomon 
nei flore, regumque orientalium pompa sumptis depicta.” Rosen 
muller’s notes on the 53d. of Isaiah. 


64 


FIVE PEBBLES 


u this Moabitish damsel” saying to her mother in¬ 
law u thy people shall be my people ”. Will Mr. 
Everett look a little farther to the 1 Sam. ch. v. 10. 
in the Hebrew, (not in a translation,) where he will 
find the Gentile Philistines saying, u They have 
brought about the ark of the God of Israel to slay 
me and my people .” (ac. to the Hebr.) again, v. 11. 
u Send away the ark of the God of Israel, and let 
it go to his own place, that it slay me not and my 
people (ac. to the Hebr.)* 

Mr. Everett, therefore, may understand from 
these examples, why I passed over this phrase “ with¬ 
out even the attempt of an explanation because, 
truly, I never dreamed that this formidable objec¬ 
tion would have been made : or that any man would 
write upon the Jewish controversy, who did not first 
inform himself of the contents and phraseology of 
the Hebrew Bible. 

Having, as I believe, shewn that the 53d. chapter 
of Isiah can be understood of “ God’s servant Is¬ 
rael,” I will now attempt to shew the reasons why 
1 think that it cannot relate to Jesus of Naza¬ 
reth. 

1st. Of the subject of this prophecy it is said v. 9. 
u and he appointed his grave with the wicked, and 
with the rich in his deaths ,” in the plural. Now 
of Jesus we read in the gospels the direct contrary : 
for the gospels represent that his death was with the 
wicked, and his grave with the rich.f 

2. The use of the, word deaths , in the plural, ap¬ 
pears to me to necessitate the application of the pro¬ 
phecy to a people^ not to an individual. The same 

* “Thou hast put forth a riddle unto the children of my pea- 
pie” says Sampson’s Philistine wife to him, Judges ch. xiv. 16. 

-j-1 had made the same objection in my first publication. Mr. 
Everett, in his elaborate view of my arguments upon the 53d. of 
Isaiah, has not thought proper to notice this objection : possibly he 
thought it a trivial one. 




FROM THE BROOK. 


65 


5s evident distinctly from the Hebrew of v. 8. at thj?' 
end of the verse, in the word u lamoo.” 

3. The subject of this prophecy is said to have 
been “ oppressed”, i. e. by pecuniary exactions : for 
that is the radical idea of the Hebrew word, as is 
shown and asserted in the lexicons of the Hebrew 
language.* This is peculiarly true of the Jewish 
nation, but was not trua at all with regard to Jesus. 

And to conclude, this prophecy is quoted repeat¬ 
edly in the New Testament. Now, that none of the 
quotations in the New Testament from the Old can 
be maintained as prophecies fulfilled by Jesus, is the 
opinion of the learned Christians Michaelis, Eichorn, 
Semler, Ec.kerman, Lessing, &c. as is allowed by 
Mr. Everett: of course the 53d ch. of Isaiah in their 
opinions cannot be adduced as a prophetic proof of 
Christianity : and Mr. Everett, in maintaining the 
contrary, has to struggle not only against argument, 
but the strongest Christian authority that can be 
produced on anj^ question of Biblical Criticism. 

Mr. Everett, in several passages of his book, lias 
thought proper to charge me with errors ; but in 
the course of his discussion of my interpretation of 
the 53d. of Isaiah, has directly accused me of false¬ 
hood , and of fraud , p. 148. of his work. 

With regard to many of these errors, the situation 
and circumstances I am in at present, put it out of 
my power to defend myself, because I cannot get the 
books he refers to in order to test his statements jf 

* Buxtoil’s remark upon the very word in Is. 53. ch. is « arcta- 
t'us, coarctatus, pressus, oppressusfuit, propria exactiojiibus.” Bux- 
torf’s Heb. Lex. Mr- Everett p. 146 of'his work says, that Rob¬ 
ertson declares that the radical idea of the word which Mr. En¬ 
glish insists upon rendering «he was oppressed by pecuniary ex¬ 
actions’, to be “fearful distress.” To tills I answer, that Robert¬ 
son was a Christian and had a reason for saying so. 

f The only works I have had to aid me in the composition of this 
book, are Mr, Everett’s work, a Hebrew Bible, and Lexicon, and 
the English Bible. I have not been able to procure any thing be¬ 
yond this in Egypt, and think myself fortunate in having so much. 

F 2 


66 


FIVE PEBBLES 


but of the latter imputations, the work of Mr 
Everett itself not only enables me to justify my¬ 
self, but to fix those charges upon him. 

He says in the 148 page of his work, remarking 
upon my assertion in u The Grounds of Christianity 
Examined.”-—“ In a word the literal application of 
this prophecy [the 53d. of Isaiah] to Jesus is now 
given up by the most learned Hebrew scholars, who- 
allow that the literal sense of the original can never 
be understood of him.”—Why does not Mr. En¬ 
glish name these Hebrew scholars ? Simply because 
his assertion is not true.” Indeed ! Does not Mr. 
Everett himself say in the 247 p. of his work, that 
Eichorn in a view of a work of Dr. Ekerman says, 
that “ the principle of accommodation, which the 
better interpreters had already applied to many vio¬ 
lations in the New Testament, is by this author ex¬ 
tended to all.” “ Though this opinion of Dr. Eker¬ 
man,” says Mr. Everett, must be allowed to savour 
a little of the extravagance of theory, Eichorn adopts 
it. As the work alluded to, the u Theological Con¬ 
tributions” has become a classical book with one 
class of the German divines, who are thought to ex¬ 
cel in critical learning, there is no doubt that this doc¬ 
trine is generally received among them. MICH AE- 
EIS we all know admits it; and Marsh is the onlv 
famous critic of the present day who does not em¬ 
brace it.” 

Now the 53d. ch. of Isaiah is quoted in the New 
Testament, * of course, therefore, according to Mr. 
Everett's orvn representations of the opinions of these 
learned critics, they must deny that the prophecy of 
Isaiah has any reference to Jesus, and hold that it 
is quoted merely by way of accommodation. And. 
if so how has Mr. Everett dared to accuse me of 


Gospel ac. to John. xii. 38. Rom. x. 16. Acts viii. 32. 33. 


FROM THE BROOK. 


67 


falsehood in representing, that “ the literal applica¬ 
tion of this prophecy to Jesus is now given up by 
the most learned Hebrew scholars, who allow that 
the literal sense of the original can never be under¬ 
stood of him”?! There is undoubtedly a falsehood 
told in this affair, and a concious suppression of 
truth, but it is not I who tell the first, or conceal the 
latter. 

Mr. Everett then proceeds. a Priestley and 
Grotius are all he claims, [the reader may see by 
the above that I might have claimed more,] Priest¬ 
ley was a learned man, but he has no pretentions as 
a Hebrew scholar, and though Mr. English quotes 
Grotius, he does it incorrectly. He declares that 
w Grotius has applied it to Jeremiah, and says, that 
Jesus Christ has nothing to do with it except in a 
secondary sense, but that the whole of it from be¬ 
ginning to end refers to Jeremiah.” “ There are but 
few to whom I need say” continues Mr. Everett, 
u that the words of Grotius in his commentary are, 
M These marks have their first fulfilment in Jere¬ 
miah, but a more especial , sublime , and often indeed 
more literal fulfilment in Christ.” Mr. Everett’s 1 
work p. 148. I do not see how this passage of Gro¬ 
tius contradicts my representation of his opinion. 
The passage from Grotius quoted by Mr. Everett 
declares, tk that these marks [i. e. the 53d. of Isaiah] 
have their first fulfillment in Jeremiah;” of course 
they could not be fulfilled by any other except in a 
secondary sense, as I have asserted. As for the 
u more especial, sublime, and often indeed more 
literal fulfilment in Christ,” I have always supposed 
that this and similar expressions in other parts of 
Grotius’ Commentary, were understood, by all who 
were acquainted with Grotius’ history and the times 
in which he wrote, to be intended for a mere salvo , 
as a tub thrown out to that great whale the vulgar; 
to contradict directly whose opinions with regard to 


68 


FIVE PEBBLES 


the prophecies, was in the time of Grotius very dan¬ 
gerous, as he himself, notwithstanding all his pre¬ 
caution and truckling, seriously experienced.^ 

u Also, [Mr. Everett goes on to say,] in adducing 
the authority of Priestley for his interpretation 
without reference or qualification, Mr. English gives 
cause to think, that he did not know, or knowing 
forbore to state, that Priestley pronounces it im¬ 
possible, in one of his works, to explain this pro¬ 
phecy of any but Jesus Christ. What Hebrew scho¬ 
lars are to be named with Lowth and Miciiaelis, 
who both assert the literal application to Christ! 
Mr. English may one day learn, that asseverations 
like these whatever immediate effect they produce, 
will finally stand in the way of his character for ve¬ 
racity.*’ p. 149. 

This has been to me the most irritating passage 
in Mr. Everett’s book, because it is a tissue of im- 

* That Grotius would sometimes prevaricate to serve a turn is 
certain. There is an anecdote on record, contained in the notes 
to Gibbon’s account of Mohammed in his Roman History, which 
proves this. In Grotius’ famous book on the truth of the Chris¬ 
tian Religion, there is a story that Mohammed had a tame pidgeon^ 
which, he taught to come and peck in his ear, in order to make 
his followers believe that the bird was the organ by whom he re¬ 
ceived revelations from God. This story is not believed, nor was 
ever heard of among the Musselmen. On the publication of Gro¬ 
tius’ Book, a friend learned in Oriental Literature, came to him 
and asked him for his authority for this story, Grotius frankly own¬ 
ed that he had none, in other words that the story was a pious 
fraud in order to stigmatize Mohammedanism. “This story” Gibbon 
says, “ was accordingly left out of the Arabic version of Grotius’ 
Book, intended to circulate among the Musselmen, for fear that 
they should laugh at such a piece of ignorance or effrontery : but 
it still maintains an edifying place in those copies printed for the 
perusal of Christians.”! I quote from memory. 

It is really a pity that the Protestant Church, which like a Mag¬ 
dalen professes to repent of her errors committed during her for¬ 
mer connection with « the mother of abominations,” should yet 
retain so many of the bad habits contracted during their past inti¬ 
macy. Some folks have, even pretended to have observed, that 
notwithstanding their old quarrel, they seem to have recommenc¬ 
ed a “ nodding acquaintance.” I hope the report is untrue. 


FROM TllE BROOK. 


69 


pudent ignorance or impudent fraud, and as such I 
will prove it.* 

I have always supposed, that in quoting the opin¬ 
ion of an author as authority, it is the fairest way to 
quote his last avowed opinions. Now the work of 
Priestley’s, which I refer to as applying the prophe¬ 
cy of Isaiah to the Jewish nation, as I do, is entitled 
44 Priestley’s Notes on Scripture,” and was publish¬ 
ed after his arrival in America, several years after 
the work to which Mr. Everett refers, wherein 
Priestley, maintained that it was impossible to ex¬ 
plain this prophecy of any but Jesus Christ.” There¬ 
fore this fact 44 gives cause to think, that Mr. Ever¬ 
ett did not know, or knowing forbore to state 
(which I believe in my conscience is the truth) 
this circumstance which completely acquits me at 
least of a suppressio veri.f 

* Mr. Everett will probably saj r , that he made these deadly 
stabs at my character upon the same principle that the New Eng¬ 
land Gobbler killed the Indian Hogan Mogan. 

“Not out o i'malice, but mere zeal .* 

Because lie was an infidel.” 

•}-1 have a right to believe so, for Mr. Everett quotes Priest¬ 
ley’s notes, p. 339 of his work. Dr. Priestley united in his cha¬ 
racter, the rare concurrence of a keen controversial writer, with 
great fairness and candour. He seems, always to have been wil¬ 
lingly disposed to resign an untenable opinion, when convinced 
by the arguments of his opponent. His conduct in regard to the 
question between the Jews and Christians, may be considered as 
a proof of this. He wrote letters to the Jews in defence of Chris¬ 
tianity, which were replied to by Levi. In this controversy Levi 
had evidently the better of Priestley. Priestley seems to have 
been sensible of this, which occasioned him to examine the ques¬ 
tion more minutely. The result of his examination led him to 
avow, in a Dissertation in the Theological Repository published 
in England, I believe in the very one which Mr. Everett refers to 
[Theol. Rep. vol. 5.] that the prophets clearly justify the Jews 
for expecting as their Messiah, a glorious monarch of the house 
and name of David, who should reign over them and all the hu¬ 
man race ; but he also maintained as I think in the same Disser¬ 
tation, that Jesus Christ is nevertheless predicted by the 53d. of 
Isaiah. Several years afterwards, when Priestley resided in Ame¬ 
rica, he published his notes on Scripture, wherein he abandons 
the Christian interpretation of the 53d. of Isaiah, and applies it as 
i do to the Jewish nation. 


J'lVE PEBBLES 


70 

«What Hebrew scholars are to be named with 
Lowth and Michaelis!” Several—among whom 
Eichorn stands pre-eminent. Moreover, how has 
it happened that “the keen detector of dissonances” 
has contradicted himself in quoting Michaelis? 
Here, because he chooses to cling to the 53d. of 
Isaiah as favouring his cause, he quotes the name 
of Michaelis as asserting “ its literal application 
to Christ.” In another place, (p. 247.) where it is 
necessary to defend the New Testament from the 
charge of false application of the prophecies of the 
Old Testament to Jesus, he quotes again the great 
name of Michaelis as the patroyi of the system of 
accommodation, which system maintains that the 
53d. of Isaiah has no application to Christ at all! 
but is quoted by the writers of the New Testament 
merely by way of allusion. Mr. Everett himself 
may live to learn, that such double dealing attempts 
to slander his opponent, and impose upon his read¬ 
ers, “ whatever immediate effect they may produce, 
will finally stand in the way of his character for ve¬ 
racity,” or at least for fairness and candour. 

These are not the only instances in which Mr. 
Everett has calumniated me, and abused the good 
nature of his readers. For example— 

I had maintained in my first work, that the gos¬ 
pel called of Matthew was a forgery, and not a 
translation from the ancient Hebrew gospel of Mat¬ 
thew, and had supported my opinion by saying, that 
learned Christians allowed that “ it had not the air 
of a translation.” This Mr. Everett contradicts as 
follows : “ But Mr. English is aware that Michael¬ 
is, the highest authority on these subjects, pro¬ 
nounces that it is a translation, and maintains his 
proposition not less from the unanimous testimony 
of the ancients than from internal evidence.” p. 472. 
of Mr. Everett’s work. 

I beg the reader after reading this to attend care* 


trom the brook:. 


n 

fully to what is said by Mr. Everett in p. 464. 
“ Sender’s opinion of the origin and composition of 
the three first gospels, was the same as that of Le 
Clerc, Miciiaelis, Lessing, and Eichorn, and 
which has been illustrated and maintained by pro¬ 
fessor Marsh. This opinion is that they were com¬ 
piled from documents [not one document or gospel, 
but several] of our Lord’s preaching and life, which 
had been committed to writing during his life, or 
immediately after, and which became after different 
additions , revisions and translations, the basis of 
our present gospels.” Here the reader sees that 
when it is necessary to oppose my statements, in 
one place Mr. Everett avers that Michaelis main¬ 
tained that the Greek gospel according to Matthew, 
was a translation of Matthew’s Hebrew; in ano-* 
ther place, where it is also necessary to oppose me, 
he avers that Michaelis believed that the gospel ac¬ 
cording to Matthew, Mark, and Luke were com¬ 
piled compositions, and of course none of them 
were translations from any one work. w I would, 
says Mr. Everett, answer Mr. English fairly , or 
not at all.” If this and the other instances quoted 
be specimens of Mr. Everett’s fairness , what would 
be his conduct upon the very impossible supposition 
that he could be guilty of duplicity ? 

2. Mr. Everett tells his readers, that the Jewish 
Rabbies “ are the most contemptible critics that 
have appeared ;” that u they are so silly that he is 
almost ashamed to quote them that they were in 
short idiots. If so, of what value can their opin¬ 
ions be on controverted points, which must after all 
be settled by reason and scripture, and not by any 
bare human authority.* Nevertheless Mr. Everett 

* If all that Mr. Everett has said upon this subject were true, it 
would amount after all only to an argument ad prejudicium, for the 
Jews of past times, who believed the dreams of the Rabbies, but 
is of no weight whatever with those who reject them, as do all 
the Biblical critics of the present day. 


72 


FIVE PEEBLES 


is continually calling upon bis reader to believe bis 
arguments and statements upon the authority of 
these said Rabbies. If I were one of his Christian, 
readers, I should consider myself insulted by such 
a procedure. It is almost tantamount to saying, 
“it is true, my arguments are built upon the autho¬ 
rity of fools, but yet they may serve to convince 
you.” 

3. I had accused the writers of the New Testa¬ 
ment in my first publication, of having blundered 
in applying passages of the Old Testament as pro¬ 
phecies of Jesus Christ. Mr. Everett justifies them 
by maintaining in the 5th. chapter of his work, that 
i^is true that these quotations cannot be supported 
as prophecies, but that they are excusable for the 
following reasons. The writers of the New Testa¬ 
ment were Jews; the Jews of their times believed 
that every text of Scripture had seventy-two faces, 
and that each one regarded the Messiah, and that 
the resurrection of the dead was also taught in ev¬ 
ery chapter of Scripture, though we might not be 
able to perceive it, and that the writers of the New 
Testament had been brought up in these silly 
prejudices, and therefore argued on these princi¬ 
ples, i. e. that, notwithstanding their being inspired 
men and full of the spirit of the Almighty, they con¬ 
tinued in this respect as silly as ever. 

Now if there be a pious and sincere Christian in 
the world, and should have this hypothesis laid be¬ 
fore him for his acceptance as the best means of de¬ 
fending the writers of the New Testament, from the 
charge of fraud or blundering in their application 
of the prophecies, I venture to say that that pious 
and sincere Christian would, without hesitation, 
believe the proposer of such an hypothesis to be 
ruining the cause he professed to defend. “ What! 
he might say, are the quotations in the New Testa¬ 
ment from the Old, indeed founded on folly, and 


FROM THE BROOK. 


73 


^Hedged through stupidity? Have the writers of 
the New Testament, who are allowed to have been 
inspired by the Most High God with a perfect 
knowledge and understanding of the Christian reli¬ 
gion, who are representing continually that Jesus 
Christ was foretold by the prophets, and that their 
own minds were opened by the Holy Ghost to un¬ 
derstand the Scriptures, have they indeed though 
continually quoting the Old Testament, after all 
never quoted for us even one of the predictions 
on which they say their religion is founded ? and 
have they spent all the time they devoted to writing 
for the salvation of the souls of men, in fooling with 
the Old Testament in the manner you aver ? ’Tis 
false! ’Tis monstrous ! Either your hypothesis is 
a fable, or Christianity itself is like the dreams of 
the Rabbies.’’*’ 

* There occurs to me an instance of carelessness or something' 
worse on the part of Mr. Everett in p. 342 of his work. I had 
said in my first publication, that “there is in the speech of James, 
Acts xv. a quotation from Amos in which, to make it fit the sub. 
ject, (which after all it does not fit) is the substitution of the 
'words “ the remnant of men,” for “the remnant of Edom,” as it is 
in the original.” On this Mr. Everett remarks with astonishing 
composure, “ There are few of my readers to whom 1 need say, 
that the same Hebrew word means ‘ men,’ and ‘ Edom/ accord, 
ing as it is pronounced, and St. James has as fair a right to pro¬ 
nounce it«men,’ as Mr. English has to pronounce it«Edom.* ” 
The only way by which Mr. Everett can escape the charge of 
| fraud in this affair, is by allowing that he did not take the trouble 
to look at the passage quoted from Amos, ix. 12. in the Hebrew 
Bible, from which it will appear that neither St. James, nor any 
other Saint, has a right to read the passage “the remnant of 
men” (or Adam;) because the Hebrew word contains a letter 
(vau,) which the word Adam does not contain, and which limits 
its signification to Edom. 

I would observe by the way, that the passage in Amos “ that 
they, (i. e. Israel,) may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all 
the heathen (or nations) -which are called by my name, appears to 
contain an allusion to the Christians and Mohammedans, who are 
the only nations beside the Jews who invoke the name of Jeho¬ 
vah, and profess faith in his prophets. There are not a lew pas¬ 
sages in the prophets, which have a significance at present, which 
they could not have had at the time the predictions were uttered. 

G 



74 


FIVE PEBBLES 


When I see such principles, and other like prin¬ 
ciples avowed in Mr. Everett’s work, I feel myself 
authorized to propose to him the following ques¬ 
tions, by which I hope he will not consider himself 
as put to the torture. 

What, Mr. Everett, were your motives for quit¬ 
ting, so abruptly and unexpectedly, the most re¬ 
spectable society who had done you the honour to 
elect you their pastor, believing you to be the only 
man worthy to succeed the learned, eloquent and la¬ 
mented Buckminster ? This abandonment of your 
station took place after you had engaged yourself 
in the examination of the question between me, Mr. 
Cary, and Mr. Channing. If you felt doubts of the 
validity of the Christian religion, and were there¬ 
fore scrupulous about going into your pulpit every 
Sunday to preach Christianity in the name of the 
God of Truth, and therefore resigned your post, 
your conduct thus far does you honour and not 
shame. But if, after this, you have allowed your¬ 
self to be overcome by the solicitations of interest¬ 
ed friends (who might have been anxious that you 
should publish something, that would allay the sus¬ 
picions and silence the rumours your conduct had 
occasioned) to give to the world your very singular 
book, you have acted a part unjust towards me, and 
injurious to yourself, for you now see the conse¬ 
quence. You are taken in the snare you had laid 
lor me, and your violent dealing has come down on 
your own head. 

I come now to the examination of the celebrated 
prophecy of the seventy weeks. This prophecy has 
always run the crux Criticorum. It is unquestionably 
a very ambiguous one, since Mr. Everett himself 
informs us in a note, p. 167 of his work, that “ Ca- 
lovius whose day has passed a century ago, in a 
dissertation upon the mysteries of the seventy 
weeks, numbers twenty-jive different Christian hy« 


FROM THE BROOK 


1o 

potheses,” to which may be added at least two more, 
those of Michaelis and Blayney. 

If so, I would ask what stress a reasonable man 
can lay upon a simple prophecy which is allowedly 
so ambiguous, as to have led Christians, sincerely 
disposed to make a prophecy of Jesus Christ out of 
this passage, to interpret it at least twenty-seven 
different ways ? 

There appears to me to be a mistranslation at 
the root of the prophecy, which vitiates and con¬ 
founds all the systems of interpretation applied 
to it that I know sf. I conceive that the prophecy 
should be translated thus. 

“ Seventy times seven* are determined upon thy 
people, and upon thy holy city, to finish transgres¬ 
sion and to make an end of sins, and to make re¬ 
conciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting 
righteousness, and to seal [up] the vision and pro¬ 
phecy, and to anoint the most holy things.” 

w Know therefore, and understand that from the 
going forth of the commandment to restore, and to 
build Jerusalem, unto the anointed Prince, shall be 

* In the beginning’ of the 9th. ch. of Daniel, the prophet says, 
“ I Daniel, understood by books the number of years whereof the 
word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would 
accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I 
set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplica* 
tions with fasting, sackcloth and ashes.” It appears from his 
prayer, that he supposed the Babylonish captivity of seventy 
years, would terminate the chastisement of his nation. Upon 
which the angel Gabriel was sent to “give him skill and under¬ 
standing,” and to inform him, that their chastisement would not 
be terminated by the captivity of seventy years , but by one of 
“ seventy times seven,” i. e. a long and undefined period. The 
words “seven,” and “seventy,” were frequently used by the 
Hebrews to signify an indefinite number, and “ seventy times se¬ 
ven” is a Hebraeism used to signify a great and indefinite number. 
Thus one of the disciples of Jesus is represented as asking him, 

* * Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive 
him; until seven times ? Jesus saitli unto him, I say not unto thee, 
until seven times, but until seventy times seven.” Mat. ch. xviii. 
21 , 22 , 


76 


FIVE PEBBLES 


seven weeks; and [in]* threescore and two weeks 
the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in 
troublous times.”f 

“ And after threescore and two weeks shall the 
anointed one be cut off, and have no successor; and 
the people of the Prince that shall come, shall de¬ 
stroy the city, and the sanctuary : and the end there¬ 
of shall be with a flood, and unto the end desola¬ 
tions are determined.” 

u And he shall confirm a covenant with many for 
one week, and in the midst of the [or, a] week he 
shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease ; 
and for the overspreading of abominations he shall 
make it desolate, even until the consummation, and 
that determined be poured upon the desolate.” Dan. 
ch. ix. 24, 2 7. 

Whatever may be the true signification of this 
prophecy, it is not, I conceive, favourable to the 
purpose to which Mr. Everett applies it, for the fol¬ 
lowing reasons. 1. That in supposing what is com¬ 
monly translated u seventy weeks,” to signify four 
hundred and ninety years, the prophecy would be 
falsified; for certainly the expiration of this period 
did not “ finish transgression,” nor “ make an end 

* In my first work I had alleged this prophecy of Daniel, and 
had inserted this word “m” enclosed in a parenthesis, in order to 
signify, that it was not in the original, but was suggested by it as 
necessary to the sense of the original. This “ in,” in a parenthe¬ 
sis, the zealous Mr. Everett, who loves to find fault, pronounces 
to be “ an absolute interpolations’ “ and a shameless, one too.” p, 
157 of his work. 

f The reader will see that I suppose the original to make one 
period of seven weeks, and one of sixty-two. “ The English 
translation renders it “seven weeks and threescore and two 
weeks,” making one period of the two. This appears to me to 
be inadmissible : because if the prophet meant to signify but one 
period, he would, as I think, have said, according to the analogy of 
the Hebrew language, not “ seven weeks, and threescore and two 
weeks,” but « nine weeks and threescore weeks.” In the He¬ 
brew the clauses of the seven weeks, and sixty and two weeks, 
are separated by a character which frequently, in the Hebrew 
Bible, performs the function of a fall stop. 


FROM THE BROOK. 


77 


t>f sins,” nor “ make reconciliation for iniquity,” noi 
“ bring in everlasting righteous,” nor ^ anoint the 
most holy things,” i. e. as I understand it, the new 
and eternal temple and its altar, predicted by Eze¬ 
kiel in the last chapters of his prophecies. On the 
contrary, the Jews became more wicked than ever , 
and the temple then standing was destroyed to its 
foundations . 

2. It follows from what is allowed by Mr. Everett 
himself, p. 1J9 of his work, that from the going 
forth of the word to restore and build Jerusalem, to 
the birth of Jesus Christ, was not seven weeks and 
sixty and two weeks, i. e. sixty-nine weeks, but 
eighty-four weeks. For he says there, that the 
duration of the second temple was “ ninety-four 
weeks,” i. e. six hundred and fifty-nine years. Now 
if my memory does not deceive me, Jerusalem was 
taken and the temple .destroyed by Titus about the 
year seventy after the birth of Christ, which is equal 
to ten prophetic weeks ; therefore take ten weeks 
from the ninety-four weeks, (the time Mr. Everett 
states to have elapsed from the building of the sec- 
cond temple, to its destruction) and there remains 
eighty-four weeks, and not sixty-nine. Which cir¬ 
cumstance, appears to me to vitiate entirely the inter¬ 
pretation of Mr. Everett, who supposes the annoint- 
ed one,” spoken of as to be cut off after the sixty- 
nine weeks, to be Jesus Christ. 

As to who the “ annointed ones” were, the first 
I think entirely refers to Cyrus, and the last who 
was to be u cut off” and have no successor, may 
either mean the pious and good Onias mentioned 
in the book of Maccabees, who was the last I think 
of the legitimate Jewish High Priests, [for after his 
time History testifies that several, who had not the 
right of primogeniture as descendants of Aaron, 
obtained the priesthood by force, by intrigue, and 
by bribery ;] or the last Jewish High Prie-st, Joshua 
G 2 


78 


FIVE PEBBLES 


who perished during the siege of Jerusalem, accord¬ 
ing to Josephus. At any rate the anointed one 
who was to be-cut off, cannot mean Jesus of Naza¬ 
reth ; because this anointed one was to be cut off 
in that same week of seven years, in which the city 
was destroyed, whereas Jesus was crucified forty 
years before that event; a circumstance I insist 
which excludes any application of this prophecy to 
Jesus. 

The claims set up for Jesus of Nazareth are 
moreover evidently rejected by Daniel’s prophecy- 
even according to Mr. Everett’s interpretation, for¬ 
asmuch as he did not appear at the expiration of 
sixty-nine weeks, but of eighty-four. 

And to conclude this discussion, I would observe 
that Daniel, ch. iii. in his account of the image [seen 
in a vision by Nebuchadnezzar] whose head was of 
gold, breast and arms of silver, belly of brass, legs 
of iron, and feet and toes of iron and clay, is pre¬ 
dicting the empires which have most influenced the 
fate of the Hebrew nation; i. e. the Babylonian, 
Persian, Grecian, and Roman, the last represented 
by u the iron legs,” which did indeed bestride the 
world; these 44 iron legs” are represented as termi¬ 
nating in feet and toes part of iron and part of clay, 
which have no natural coherence j i. e. the Roman 
empire shall be divided into several kingdoms, part¬ 
ly strong and partly weak : a prophecy remarkably 
fulfilled in the history and condition of the kingdoms 
of Europe. The prophet goes on to say in ch. ii. 
that in the latter days of those kings or kingdoms, 
[Which are yet subsisting] 44 the God of Heaven 
would set up a kingdom which should never be de¬ 
stroyed,” that of the Messiah. Of course the king¬ 
dom of the Messiah was not to be—not only not 
till after the destruction of the Roman empire—but 
not till the latter days of the kingdoms which grew 
up out of the ruins ; whereas Jesus Christ was born 
in the time of Augustus, i. e. when the Roman em. 


FROM THE BROOK 


T9 


pire itself was in the height of its splendour and vi¬ 
gour. Mr. Everett in p. 201, endeavours to escape 
the strong gripe of the prophet Daniel, by maintain¬ 
ing that these strong and weak parts, into which the 
Roman empire was to be divided, meant that it 
should be divided into “ strong and weak institu¬ 
tions” Now to turn this sensible interpretation 
head over heels, it appears to me to be only neces¬ 
sary to observe, that these “ strong and weak parts” 
into which the Roman empire was to be divided, 
were, according to the prophet, ch. ii. 43. of Dan¬ 
iel, to u mingle themselves with the seed of men,” 
i. e. make intermarriages ; which, it appears to me 
to be a thing that u strong and weak institutions ” 
cannot do. This, however has remarkably been 
the case among the royal families of Europe, who 
intermarry too with the avowed design of cementing 
union and promoting peace and harmony. Never¬ 
theless, agreeable to the prophet’s prediction, they 
have not a cleaved together, but on the contrary 
have been almost constantly at war with each other* 


<c The children of Israel shall abide many days with¬ 
out a king, and without a prince, and without a sac¬ 
rifice, and without an image, and without an ephod, 
and without teraphim ; afterwards shall the children 
of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and 
David their king, and shall fear the Lord and his 
goodness in the latter days.” Hos. iii. 4, 5. 

u I will set up one shepherd over them, even my 
servant David, he shall feed [or govern] them, and 
he shall be their shepherd: and I the Lord will be 
their God, and my servant David, a prince among 
them.” Ezech, ch. xxxiv. 23. 

“ David my servant shall be king over them, and 
there shall be one shepherd,”- u my servant Da¬ 

vid shall be their Prince for ever.” Ezek. ch. 
xxxvii. 24, 25. 

u They shall serve Jehovah their God, and David 
their king, whom I will raise up unto [or for] them.” 
Jer. xxx. 9. 

“ Incline your ear and come unto me : hear and 
your soul shall live ; and I will make an everlasting 
covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David. 
Behold I have given him for a witness to the peo¬ 
ples, a leader and commander to the peoples.” Is. 
lv. 3, 4. 

From such passages I inferred, in my first publi¬ 
cation, that the name of the true Messiah, was to 
be David, and not Jesus. To avoid the force of 
these passages Mr. Everett has recourse to allegory 
and analogy. 


FROM THE BROOK. 


81 


Jesus is prophecied of in these passages, says he, 
by the name of David, because “ there was an analo¬ 
gy between these two distinguished servants of 
God. David, from a low and humble estate, was 
raised to be the founder of the temporal glories of 
his kingdom ; and Christ, not less humble in his ori¬ 
gin, was the author of the spiritual distinction of Is¬ 
rael ; David was the most illustrious political , and 
Christ the most distinguished moral instrument of 
the Lord. David was commanded to entrust to.his 
successor the erection of the famous temple , which 
was the centre of the Jewish worship ; and Christ 
has founded through the agency of his apostles that 
QZPC hurch, !! by which his religion has been pre¬ 
served, and. diffused in the world.” 


“ To laugh, were want of dignity, or grace, 

“ And to be grave exceeds all power of face/’ 


I assure Mr. Everett, that the days of Type and 
Figure are gone by, and have been succeeded among 
Biblical Critics u by a stricter style of reasoning,” 
and are now considered as w pious whims.”* 

In the present advanced state of sacred Criticism 
even the beautiful allegory in Paul’s Epistle to the 
Gal. ch. iv. which makes Hag'ar, Abraham’s maid, 
nothing less than “ Mount Sinai in Arabiaand 
Sarah, Abraham’s wife, to be the “ Jerusalem, that is 

* Mr. Everett appears himself to have been somewhat embar¬ 
rassed by the gravity he is obliged to maintain in holding forth 
this antithetical “analogy.” For he says, that he forbears “to 
pursue analogies like these, which though they abound in the 
writings of the Old Testament, [I challenge him to point out a 
single such instance] and are familiar to all the nations of the East, 
have long been succeeded among us by a stricter style of reason¬ 
ing” p. 178. They have indeed been long since exploded by the 
Modem Biblical Critics : and I doubt not that if this curious analo¬ 
gy should ever be subject to the notice of Eichorn or Lessing, 
they would in their closets peruse it “ with a smile or a sigh.” 



82 


f'lVE PEBBLES 


above the mother of us all!” has come to be re« 
garded as “ rather queer.” 

I had also objected that the coming of the true 
Messiah, was according to the Old Testament, to be 
preceded by the appearance of Elijah the prophet 
on earth ; and that he had not appeared before the 
sera of Jesus, nor ever since. 

In answer to this, Mr. Everett endeavours to 
show p. 172. & seq., that a man named John the 
Baptist—a righteous person,—whose raiment was 
of camels hair,—and whose meat was locusts and 
wild honey, who lived in the age of Jesus of Naza¬ 
reth, was Elijah, and had a right to be so consider¬ 
ed—by a figure. 

To this I answer, that the prophecy of Malachi 
does not say “ Behold I will send you one like Eli¬ 
jah, or “ an Elijah,”—but it says explicitly, and ex¬ 
pressly, “ Behold I will send you Elijah the Prophet , 
before the coming of the great and terrible day of 
the Lord ; and he shall turn the hearts of the fathers 
to the children, and the hearts of the children to 
their fathers.” Mai. iv. 5, 6. 

Now who is “ Elijah the Prophet?” undoubtedly 
the great prophet of Israel, who called down fire 
from heaven—who raised the dead to life—and who 
ascended alive to heaven in a chariot of fire j God 
by such a translation sufficiently intimating that he 
had in reseve for him, some extraordinary commission ♦ 
Moreover the coming of this Elijah the prophet, was 
to be followed by “ the great and terrible day of 
Jehovah,” by which name the prophets call the per¬ 
sonal descent of Jehovah upon the earth, to take 
vengeance on the wicked, and to punish the oppress¬ 
ors and persecutors of his people.* Was the ap- 

* “ Who is this that cometli from Edom, with dyed garments 
from Bozrah ? this that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the 
greatness of his strength ?—I that speak in righteousness mighty 
to save. Wherefore art thou red in thine apparel, and thy gar- 


FROM THE BROOK. 


SS 

peering of John the Baptist followed by this event l 
or has it yet occurred, though that man lived eigh¬ 
teen hundred years ago ? His appearance, instead of 
being followed by the interposition of God to avenge 
Israel of its enemies, was on the contrary, followed 
by giving Israel into the hand of its enemies; who, 
u for the overspreading of abominations,” made Je¬ 
rusalem a desolation, and delivered over its sinful 
population to the chains of slavery, and the bands of 
Death. 

Elijah the Prophet is to “ turn the hearts of the 
fathers to the children, and the hearts of the child¬ 
ren to the fathers.” Did John the Baptist do this ? 
On the contrary, the morals of his countrymen, in 
his age, instead of growing from bad to better, went 
on from bad to worse, till there was no remedy, and 
the Sword of God did his work. 

Indeed, and indeed Mr. Everett you are wrong : 
and your superannuated allies, Type and Figure, 
whom I disdain to combat, cannot aid you to defend 
what is indefensible. 

merits like him that treadetli in the winefat ?—I have trodden the 
wine press alone ; and ofthe peoples there was none with me : for 
I trode them in mine anger, and trampled them in my fury, and 
their blood sprinkled upon my garments, and I have stained all my 
raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year 
of my redeemed is come. And I looked, and there was none to 
help : and I wondered there was none to uphold ; therefore mine 
own arm brought salvation unto me ; and my fury it upheld me, 
and I trode down the peoples in mine anger, and made them 
drunk in my fury, and I brought down their strength to the earth.” 
See Is. cli. lxiii. in the Hebrew. This passage relates to the 
** Great and Terrible Day of Jehovah.” mentioned in MalachL 
The Psalms of the Prophets abound with descriptions of it both 
terrible and magnificent. See for example Ezekiel xxxviii: & 
xxxix chapters. Joel eh. iii. and Zech. ch. xiv. 


PEBBLE tT 


The Law of the Pentateuch, is pronounced by the 
Old Testament to be intended for a permanent and e- 
ternal Code for the Jewish nation. Mr. Everett denies 
this. Let us see nevertheness, if it cannot be proved. 

The promulation of the ordinance imposing cir¬ 
cumcision on the descendants of Abraham, is in 
these words. w And God said unto Abraham, Thou 
shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou and thy seed 
after thee in their generations. This is my covenant 
which ye shall keep, between me and you, and thy 
seed after thee ; Every man child among you shall 
be circumcised.—He that is born in thy house, and 
lie that is bought with thy money, must needs be 
circumcised ; and my covenant shall be in your flesh 
for an everlasting covenant . And the uncircumcised 
man child whose flesh of his foreskin is not circum¬ 
cised, that soul shall be cut off from his people ; he 
hath broken my covenant.’* Gen. ch. xvii. 9.—14. 

The ordinance of the Passover is also declared to 
to be everlasting, u and this day [i. e. the feast of 
the Passover] shall be unto you for a memorial j and ye 
shall keep it a feast unto the Lord throughout your 
generations ; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance 
for every Ex. ch.xii. 14. see also v. 15.—in v. 17. it 
is said “ ye shall observe this day in your genera¬ 
tions by an ordinance for ever?' 

The ordinance of the day of atonement, is declared 


FROM THE BROOK. 


85 


to be a perpetual institution, “ It shall be a statute 
for ever unto you.” Lev. ch. xvi. 29. “ It shall be 
a sabbath of rest unto you, and ye shall afflict your 
souls, by a statute for ever.” v. 31. “ and this shall 
be an everlasting statute unto you.” v. 34. 

The feast of offering the first fruits of {he year, is 
declared Lev. ch. xxiii. 14. “to be a statute for ever 
throughout your generations, in all your dwellings.” 

The feast of the Penticost, is also declared in the 
same ch. of Lev. 21. to be a statute for ever, in all 
your dwellings throughout your generations.” See 
also v. 41. 

The ordinance of the Sabbath is pronounced a per¬ 
petual institution, “ Verily my sabbath ye shall 
keep : for it is a sign between me and you, through - 
out your generations —Wherefore the children of Is¬ 
rael shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath 
throughout their generations for a perpetual covenant : 
It is a sign between me and the children of Israel 
for ever.” Ex. xxxi. 13— 17. 

As it is clearly evident from such passages as the 
above, that the law of Moses was intended to be a 
perpetual rule for the Israelites “ throughout all 
their generations,” as long as they should exist, Mr. 
Everett, in order to get rid of their force, has 
thought proper to annihilate the Jewish nation with 
a stroke of his pen. He maintains p. 350. of his 
work, that no such nation exists as the Jewish nation! 
This unexpected stroke was to me a confounding 
one—not on account of its force—but on account of 
its amazing effrontery. 

The Jews not a nation! ask the histories of mankind; 
ask all writers who give an account of the different 
nations and peoples into which the race of Adam is 
divided! and Mr. Everett will find that they all 
consider the Jews as “ a disjinot and peculiar peo¬ 
ple.” u But, says Mr. Everett, p. 350, if they are 
a nation, we can be told whereabouts they dwell, 
H 


86 


FIVE PEBBLES 


and what cities they inhabit.”. Undoubtedly Mr. 
Everett can be told all this if he will take the trou- 
to ask their chiefs: and if he does he will be sur¬ 
prised to learn that the Jews, in cities and countries 
that can be named and pointed out, amount probably 
to ten millions of people, governed by their own 
law, so far as relates to their religion and inter¬ 
course with each other, and yet Mr. Everett main¬ 
tains that the Jewish nation does not exist.* 

But I have a solemn answer from immortal lips 
to give to Mr. Everett’s assertion, which he may 
possibly, if he be a religious man, hearken to, and 
tremble. 

M Thus saith Jehovah, which giveth the sun for 
a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and 
the stars for a light by night; which divideth the 
sea when the waves thereof roar; jehovah of 
hosts is his name : if those ordinances depart from 
before me saith Jehovah, then the seed of Israel 
shall cease being a nation before me for ever. 

* The enumerations given by the Jews themselves are always 
below the truth. They conceal the real amount for particular 
reasons. In Spain and Portugal, where it is dangerous for a man 
to be known to be a Jew, there are notwithstanding many thou¬ 
sands; probably one third of the population of Portugal is 
of Jewish descent. I have seen a Jew at Paris, who had resided 
several years in Spain, who has told me, that the number of his 
nation in Spain is great and unsuspected. I believe him, for 
Orobio and Acosta, both Jews of the Peninsula, affirm that Jews 
disguised as Christians, were to be found not only among the pop¬ 
ulace of the Peninsula, but among the nobles and bishops. In 
those countries (Spain and Portugal,) where the Inquisition 
obliged every body to be educated as Christians, the fathers who 
were secretly Jews, were accustomed, when their children came 
to the years of discretion, to inform them of their descent, and to 
engage them secretly to conform to the religion of their fathers. 
If they found their conversion impracticable, these wretched pa¬ 
rents were accustomed to poison such children, to prevent their 
communicating the dangerous secret to the Inquisition, which 
would occasion the whole family to be burned alive. See the 
Biography of Orobio and Acosta for some interesting information 
upon tliis subject. 


FROM TIIE BROOK. 8? 

Thus saith Jehovah, if heaven above can be mea¬ 
sured, and the foundations of the earth searched out 
beneath, I also will cast off all the seed of Israel, 
for all that they have done saith Jehovah.” Jer. ch. 
xxxi. 35, 36, 37. 

But, says Mr. Everett, p. 352, “ above all, the 
Jews have no national existence in respect of their 
religion; which is really the principal point to be 
urged. The tribe of Levi which was separated to 
the service of the temple, and the family of Aaron, 
exonerated to the priesthood, and ordained to be 
u a perpetual duration” have both been long extinct, 
at least have long since ceased to be traced.” 

This is incorrect. The tribe of Levi is not ex¬ 
tinct, neither has the family of Aaron ceased to be 
traced. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of Jews at 
present existing, are recognized by their brethren as 
of the tribe of Levi, and the descendants of Aaron 
to this day have the privilege of blessing the people 
in the Synagogues on solemn days, in a peculiar 
form which no other Jews are allowed to employ. 

This marvellous fact, that the descendants of Da¬ 
vid and Aaron should yet be discriminated amidst 
the general confusion of the tribes, is an illustrious 
verification of the following promise of Him whose 
W'ord never fails, which I now oppose to the last 
rash assertion of his creature who has denied it. 

“Thus saith Jehovah, David shall never want a 
man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel, 
neither shall the priests the Levites want a man be¬ 
fore me* to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat 

* « David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the 
house of Israel, neither shall the priests the Levites want a man 
before me,” i. e. the house of David and the tribe of Levi shall 
never be extinct, when called upon to fulfil the prophecies of the 
kingdom of the Messiah, and the re-establishment of the ritual of 
the temple, David will not want a man to sit upon the throne of the 
house of Israel, neither will the priests the Levites want a man to do 
sacrifice. And how was this to be secured, because says God, “as 


88 


FIVE PEBBLES 


offerings, and to do sacrifice continually. Thus 
saith Jehovah : if ye can break my covenant of the 
day, and my covenant of the night, and that there 
should not be day and night in their season; then 
may also my covenant be broken with David my 
servant, that he should not have a son to reign upon 
his throne, and with the Levites the priests my min¬ 
isters. As the host of heaven cannot be numbered,- 
neither the sand of the sea measured, so will I mul¬ 
tiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites 
the priests that minister unto me.” u Considerest 
thou not what this people have spoken, saying, the 
txvo families xvhich Jehovah hath chosen, he hath even 
cast them off"? Thus have they despised my people 
that they should be no more a nation before them. 
Thus saith Jehovah, If my covenant be not with 
day and night, and I have appointed the ordinances 
of heaven and earth ; then will I cast away the seed 
of Jacob, and David my servant, so that I will not 

the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the 
sea measured, so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, 
and the Levites the priests that minister unto me.” That this is 
the sense of the phrase “ shall not want a man,” is evident from 
the employment of the same expression by Jeremiah in xxxv 
of his Prophecies: “Thus saith Jehovah of Hosts, the God of Is¬ 
rael : Jonadab the son of Rcchab shall not i want a man to stand 
bejore me for ever , cli. xxxv. 19. i. e. not that a particular de¬ 
scendant of Jonadab the son of Rechab should always be standing 
in the presence of the Lord for ever: but that he should never 
want a representative, his posterity should never be cut off. It 
is a singular fact that the descendants of Jonadab the son of Re¬ 
chab still exist in Arabia, preserving the customs of their fathers ; 
they are called “ Beni al Khaib,” i. e. descendants of Hebeiv 
See Jud. ch. iv. 11. 

To these considerations it may be added, that Jeremiah him¬ 
self predicts the dethronement of the house of David, the de¬ 
struction of the temple, and the captivity of the priests, and the 
whole Jewish nation, and as it is an allowed principle of sound 
criticism that if the expressions of a writer are capable of two'sig¬ 
nifications, one of which would make him contradict himselfj and 
the other would leave him consistent: it is but fair to suppose 
that he meant to be consistent, and should be interpreted in the 
sense which excludes self contradiction. 


FROM THE BROOK. 


SQ 


take any of his seed to be rulers over the seed ol 
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for i will cause 

THEIR CAPTIVITY TO RETURN AND HAVE MERCY 

upon them.” Jer. xxxiii. 1 7 —26. 

I presume that the Christian clergyman who 
has contradicted his bible and his god, is ready to 
exclaim like humbled Job ; “ I have uttered what I 
understood not; things too wonderful for me which 
I knew not; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent 
in dust and ashes.” Job ch. xlii. See Appendix. H, 

Shall I proceed to the consideration of some lit* 
tie arguments of Mr. Everett against the intended 
perpetuity of the Mosaic law derived from some 
expressions in the Psalms and the Prophets. ? Is it 
possible that Mr. Everett the scholar and the cler¬ 
gyman, is ignorant, that according to the idiom of 
the Hebrew language all such passages are merely 
expressive that God lays no stress upon sacrifice, 
and burnt offering, if unsanctified by righteousness 
and good works ? Mr. Everett has blindly recom¬ 
mended a passage to my serious attention, p. 358, 
which ought to have made him sensible of this. 

a Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, the God of Isra¬ 
el, put your burnt offerings to your sacrifices, and 
eat the flesh thereof. For I spake not unto your 
fathers, nor commanded them in the day I brought 
them out of Egypt concerning burnt offerings and 
sacrifices. But this thing commanded I them say¬ 
ing, obey my voice.” Jer. ch. vii. 23, 24. What! 
might a critic of the cast of Mr. Everett exclaim, 
did not God indeed command the children of Isra¬ 
el, when he brought them out of Egypt, concerning 
burnt offerings and sacrifices ? are not the books of 
Leviticus and Numbers filled with regulations con¬ 
cerning them ? Very true, might a rational scholar 
reply to him, but this and several other expressions 
in the Psalms and Isaiah are Hebraisms, i. e. pecu¬ 
liar idioms of the language, expressing comparison 
H 2 


90 


FIVE PEBBLES 


not rejection ; this passage in Jeremiah implying that 
when God brought the children of Israel out of 
Egypt, in giving his law to them he laid no stress 
upon burnt offerings and sacrifices, in comparison 
with moral duties. 

Finally, I would ask Mr. Everett, whether he be¬ 
lieves it was the intention of David, of Isaiah, and 
Jeremiah, to declare to the Jews of their times that. 
God would no more accept of burnt offerings and 
sacrifices! and that the ceremonial law was ipso 
facto abolished ; because, if such passages do signi¬ 
fy the abolishment of the Mosaic law, it must be 
considered as having been a dead letter ever since 
David, Isaiah, and Jeremiah uttered these expres¬ 
sions. 

But, says Mr. Everett, p. 357, “ the positive de¬ 
claration of God, puts the matter [the repeal of the 
Mosaic law] beyond a doubt.” 

“ Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I 
will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, 
and with the house of Judah, not according to the 
covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day' 
that I took them by the hand, to lead them out of 
the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, 
although I was a husband unto them, saith the Lord: 
but this shall be my covenant that I will make with 
the house of Israel, after those days, I will put my 
law in their inward parts, and write it in their 
hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be 
my people.” Jer. xxxi. 31, &c. 

I would observe first, that Mr. Everett in apply¬ 
ing this passage to the purpose for which he has ad¬ 
duced it, has against him the opinions of all those 
Christian critics whom he allows to excel in criti¬ 
cal learning; viz. Michaelis, Ekerman, Lessing, 
Eichorn, &c. For this passage is quoted to the 
same purpose in the Epistle to the Hebrews, ch. 
viii. 8. and all the critics above mentioned main- 


FROM THE BROOK. 


91 


tain, as Mr. Everett allows, that none of the pas¬ 
sages of the Old Testament quoted in the New, can 
be supported as prophecies of the things to which 
they are applied, but hold that they were quoted 
merely by way of accommodation or allusion. 

2. I would observe, that this passage is one out 
of several more in the prophets, which represent 
that after the general restoration of Israel to their 
country, God will put a new spirit in them, and 
cause them to obey his voice ; (which was not done 
at the giving of the law, the Israelites being left to 
obey it or not; after being given to understand what 
should be the rewards of obedience and the curses 
of disobedience,) this very chapter of Jeremiah, 
from which this quotation is taken, expressly repre¬ 
senting, that this new covenant is to be made after 
the Israelites are restored to their own land : which 
completely excludes the idea that this new covenant 
can relate to a new religion , fabricated seventeen 
hundred years ago ; and renders the solemnity with 
which Mr. Eeverett has introduced it, somewhat 
ridiculous. 

This “ new covenant’’ also, is not to put the old 
law out of remembrance, but is to “ write it on their 
hearts.” a Behold, I will gather them out of all 
countries whither I have driven them in mine an¬ 
ger, and in my fury, and in great wrath ; and I will 
bring them again into this place, and I will cause 
them to dwell safely: and they shall be my people, 
and I will be their God: and I will give them one 
heart, and one way, that they may fear me for ever, 
for the good of them and their children after them. 
And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, 
that I will not turn away from them, to do them 
good; but I will put my fear into their hearts, that 
they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice 
over them to do them good, and I will plant them 


92 


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in this land with my whole heart and with my whole 
soul.” Jer. xxxii. 37 —41.* 

In order to manifest that the prophecy of the new 
covenant, quoted from Jeremiah by Mr Everett, had 
no reference to the promulgation of the new law, I 
had said in my first publication, “ that though the 
prophet speaks of a M new covenant’ 7 he says noth¬ 
ing of a new law. On which Mr. Everett labours 
greatly to prove, See p. 357 &c, of his book, that 
the expression “ making a new covenant,” must 
signify making a new law, and cannot signify reim¬ 
position of the old. 

There is a history in the Bible which convicts this 
opinion of mistake, which I propose in my turn to 
Mr. Everett’s “ serious attention.” 

“ These are the words of the covenant , which the 
Lord commanded Moses to make with the children 

* Ezekiel gives a prophecy of the same events spoken of by 
Jeremiah, and in these words. “Thus saith Jehovah God; I 
will even gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of 
. the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you 
the land of Israel. And I will give them one heart, and I will put 
a new spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of 
their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh, that they may 
walk in my statutes, and keep mine ordinances , and do them; and 
they shall be my people, and I will be their God.” Ez. ch. xi. 17, 
18, 19, 20, Now what is meant in the Old Testament by “ God’s 
statutes, and God’s ordinances,” is not the Mosaic law'always 
signified by these expressions ? Again, Ezek. says, ch. xxxvi. 
23, &c. “I will sanctify my great name, which was profaned 
among the nations, which ye have profaned in the midst of them; 
and the nations shall know that I am Jehovah, saith the Lord 
God, when I shall be sanctified in you before their eyes. For I 
will take you from among the nations, and gather you out of all 
countries, and will bring you into your own land; then will I 
sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean ; from all 
your filthiness and from all your idols will I release you. A new r 
heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you ; 
and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and will 
give you a heart of flesh, and I will put my spirit within you, 
and cause you to ‘walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judg¬ 
ments and do them.” See also Ezekiel, ch. xxxvii. from verse 20 
to the end. 


PROM THE BROOK, 


93 


of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant 
which he made with them in Horeb. And Moses 
called unto all Israel, and said unto them ; ye stand 
this day all of you before the Lord your God, your 
captains of your tribes, your elders, and your offi¬ 
cers, with all the men of Israel; your little ones, 
your wives, and thy stranger that is in thy camp, 
from the hewer of thy wood to the drawer of thy 
water; that thou shouldest enter into covenant with 
the Lord thy God,” &c. Deut. ch. xxix. 

And what was the covenant? why, as the reader 
may find by perusing the rest of this piece of history 
in the Pentateuch, it was the reimposition of the Law 
of Moses upon the new generation of Iraelites, who 
were children when their fathers came out of Egypt. 
So that Mr. Everett must see, that God’s making a 
new covenant, can be accompanied with a reimposi¬ 
tion of the law, since in the instance considered, he 
has actually done it once before. 

I have, however, another passage in reserve, which 
must compel Mr. Everett to resign his unfounded 
opinions on this subject. 

Moses, the giver of the law, after predicting most 
exactly what should befall the Jewish nation for dis¬ 
obedience to it, in the 28th chapter of Deuteronomy, 
proceeds in the 30th ch. to inform them, that the 
time would come, when 44 the Lord their God will 
turn their captivity and have compassion upon them, 
and will return and gather them from all the nations 
whither the Lord their God hath scattered them.” 

44 If thy dispersion,* (says the lawgiver) shall 
be unto the utmost parts of heaven, from thence will 
the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will 
he fetch thee. And the Lord thy God will bring 
thee unto the land which thy fathers possessed, and 
thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good and 


* Ac. to the Hebrew. 


94 


FIVE PEBBLES 


multiply thee above thy fathers, and the Lord thy 
God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy 
seed, to love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. And 
the Lord thy God will put all these curses upon thine 
enemies, and on them that hate thee, and which per¬ 
secuted thee. And thou shalt return , and obey the 
yoke of the Lord , and do all his commandments 
WHICH I COMMAND THEE THIS DAY.” Deut. ch. 
NXX.'^ 

In accordance with this express prediction of 
Moses, that when the Israelites should be gathered 
out of all countries into their own land, God would 
give them a heart and disposition to love the Lord 
their God, and to do all his commandments which 
Moses was then delivering to them , are the prophecies 
of Ezekiel: who in his last chapters, after giving 
a prophecy of the general return of the descendants 
of Jacob to their own land, proceeds to predict the 
division of the country, between the Mediterra¬ 
nean and the Euphrates, among the restored tribes, 
and minutely discribes the plan, parts, offices, and 
ceremonies, of a new and eternal temple to be rais- 


* In my first publication I had maintained, that Jesus Christ had 
not taught the abolishment of the Law, and alleged in proof the 
passages following. “ Think not I am come to destroy the law or 
the Prophets ; I am not come to destroy but to fulfil. For verily 
I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass , one jot [i. e. the small¬ 
est letter of it] or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till 
all be fulfilled.” (or consummated) Mat. v. 17. 18. “ It is easier 
for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail.” 
Luke. xvi. 17. Mr. Everett has a device by which he thinks 
he can evade the gripe of these passages : perhaps the following 
may satisfy him that there is no way of escape. Luke reports. Acts 
xxi. 20. that James the bishop of the mother church of Jerusalem, 
said to Paul, “ Thou seest brother, how many thousands of Jews 
there are which believe : [i. e. are Christians] and they are all zeal¬ 
ous of the Lazo.” Now if Jesus Christ had taught the abolishment 
of the Law, it appears to me that his followers would not have been 
zealous in adhering to it: as to do so would be giving the lie to 
their master’s doctrine. 


FROM THE BROOK, 


95 


ed upon the ancient site of that of Solomon, that is 
to be consecrated by the re-establishment of the 
magnificent ritual of Moses, with augmented splen¬ 
dour. 

That the prophecy of Moses, and those of Ezekiel, 
referred to, have never yet been fulfilled, is undeni¬ 
able ; and that they will be fulfilled, will not be 
doubted by a Christian ; and can hardly be disbeliev¬ 
ed by a Sceptic, who will take the trouble to com¬ 
pare the history of u the eternal people,’’* with the 
predictions concerning it which have been fulfilled 
to the letter. 

Mr. Everett, in the 449 page of his work, speaks 
rather contemptuously of the law of Moses. It is 
somewhat amusing to see a descendant of savage 
wanderers of the woods, who painted themselves 
blue in order to look handsome,f and whose posteri¬ 
ty, and among them Mr. Everett himself, might so 
far as religion and morals is concerned, but for the 
instruction originally derived from the law of Moses, 
be still in the same respectable state, speaking light¬ 
ly of a Book to which every nation on the Globe, who 
have any rational ideas of God or futurity, are abso¬ 
lutely indebted for that invaluable knowledge. The 
Jewish, Christian, and Mohammedan religions, by 
which so many of our unfortunate race have been 
brought to a knowledge of God, and made candidates 
for an eternity of bliss, are all founded on, and de¬ 
rived from the Pentateuch. If that Book had never 
existed, those religions could not have existed. All 


* So called in Is. ch. Ixvi. 22. 

■j* The ancient Britons were savages and painted themselves blue 
when wishing to appear in full dress. In truth it is hardly three 
hundred years since the bears of Europe have learned to walk up. 
on their hinder legs, and had *< a man's heart given unto them." 
And it is only about two hundred years since “ the wild boar out of 
the forest” has become a learned pig. It is not much more than a 
hundred years since the people of Boston, have left off hanging 
their fellow creatures for being witches and Quakers. 


96 


five pebbles 


that part of mankind who have any claims to reason 
in their Religion, are therefore indebted to this Jew 
Book for the benefit. 

Nor is this all the wonder. The sublime and fun¬ 
damental Doctrine of the Pentateuch—One God— 
Eternal and Supreme—the Almighty Creator and 
and tremendous Avenger—can be traced up to 
Abraham, that wandering shepherd who at the com¬ 
mand of God left his country and his father’s house, 
to go to a foreign land, where he lived and died a 
stranger and a pilgrim. 

What ideas should we entertain of a man whose 
tent was frequented by angels, and with whom the 
Supreme tl conversed face to face, as a man talketh 
with his friend !” of a man who lived and died a 
shepherd, yet to whom it was predicted four thou¬ 
sand years ago, by Him whose word never fails, that 
e< his name should be great, that it should be a bless¬ 
ing, and that in his seed should all the nations of 
the earth be blessed.” Sceptic! has not this prophe¬ 
cy been fulfilled ? Is not the name of Abraham a 
theme of blessing to the Jew—the Christian—the 
Magian—and the Musselman ? Is not his name 
pronounced with reverence throughout the four con¬ 
tinents of the Globe ? Has not the earth been bless* 
- ed in his seed ? Is there a nation or people upon it, 
who have any rational ideas of God or futurity, who 
have not derived them from Moses, Jesus, or Mo¬ 
hammed ? Are we not indebted to these descendants 
of this wonderful man,* for the consolations which 
support the soul under the trials of life, and for the 
faith and hope that smooth the bed of death? assur¬ 
edly—assuredly. The events of past ages have veri¬ 
fied the divine origin of the prediction, and ages to 
come will still farther confirm it. 

Mr. Everett objects to the law of Moses, its mul- 

* Mohammed was descended from Abraham through Ishmael. 


FROM THE BROOK. 


95T 

tiplied forms and ceremonies; but these were most¬ 
ly not obligatory upon the whole nation, but upon 
one tribe set apart to this duty, and who had no¬ 
thing else to do.* 

The influence of these rights and ceremonies—and 
no religion can perpetually exist without them, for 
after all the man is the slave of his senses, and pow¬ 
erfully affected by the impressions made upon them— 
cannot be doubted by one who attentively considers 
their amazing magnificence. 

A temple blazing with the most precious produc¬ 
tions of the mine,f and inaccessible to all but the 
consecrated descendants of one man, standing at the 
extremity of an immense area covered with varie¬ 
gated marble, and surrounded by magnificent cor¬ 
ridors and porticos ; a gorgeous host of nearly for¬ 
ty thousand priests,:]: to minister at the ever smoking 
altar, and to nourish the eternal fire ; the golden 
ewer containing the hallowed blood of atonement, 
and -the censer streaming clouds of fragrance, in the 
hands of the trembling descendant of Aaron ap- 

* The numerous regulations concerning defilement, and the 
ritual of purification, contained in the Pentateuch, were very pro¬ 
per in reference to the immediate and personal presence of the 
Divinity among the Israelites, which therefore rendered the most 
perfect cleanliness a duty. These regulations were also adopted 
to the peculiar circumstances of the Jewish nation^ wliich was se¬ 
parated from all the rest of mankind and not obliged to go over 
their frontier to mingle with other people. But it is very true 
that such regulations are “not calculated for us” Gentiles; be¬ 
cause men who are obliged constantly to mingle with other men, 
cannot observe them. 

-j- According to 1 Chron. ch. xxix. 3, &c. the gold employed 
in adorning tbe temple, amounted to at least 8000 talents, and the 
silver to 17000 talents. This vast mass of treasure was given by 
David and his princes: how much was added to it by Solomon is * 
not said. 

* The number of the males of the tribe of Levi in the time of 
Moses, is said, Numbers, ch. xxvi. 62. to have been twenty 
three thousand. But in the reign of Solomon the number of males 
of the tribe of Levi from thirty years and upwards, was-thirty- 
eight thousand. See 1 Chron. ch. xxiii. 3. 


98 


FIVE PEBBLES 


proaching the inner sanctuary of the invisible and 
almighty ; three hundred sons of song* accompa¬ 
nied with psaltery and cymbal, and u the harp with 
a solemn sound,” resounding the attributes of him 
who is, and ever shall be and hundreds of 
thousands of worshippers prostrating their foreheads 
on the pavement in awe and extacy, as the temple 
shines forth with the Shechinah, streaming its rain¬ 
bow glories into the heart of heaven, and covering 
the earth with its effulgence, plainly showing that 
god is there! This, all this Mr. Everett pronoun¬ 
ces, “all calculated to occupy the attention of a 
simple and unfeeling people.” p. 344.f There.is, 

* The name of the Deity •* jehovah,” is a compound of two 
Hebrew words, the first of which signifies “ he is,” and the se¬ 
cond “ he shall be.” The word JEHOVAH expresses these two 
sublime ideas in three syllables. 

| Mr. Everett represents me as supposing (because I maintain 
that it is tf the sense of the prophets that the temple of Jerusalem will 
one day be the house of prayer for all mankind) that all nations 
must come and worship at the temple three times a year as the 
Jews were required to do. See Mr. Everett’s work, p. 207. 

But if Mr. Everett were more familiar with the Bible, he would 
learn that the prophets represent that this visit to the future tem¬ 
ple, from other nations than the Jews, will be required only once 
a year. “ And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of 
all the nations which came against Jerusalem, shall even go up 
from year to year to worship the King Jehovah of Hosts, and to 
keep the feast of Tabernacles.” Zech.ch. xiv. 16. 

Now supposing that the Old Testament predicts the truth in af¬ 
firming that the earth is to be restored to its primitive state, as it 
was at the beginning, when God viewed every thing that he had 
made, and behold it was very good. If the earth is spontaneously 
to produce the delicious nourishment which we may suppose that 
Adam enjoyed, a journey once a year through an ever varied pa¬ 
radise to the temple of Jehovah, can surely be no toil. If a per¬ 
son will look at the situation of Jerusalem on a map of the world, 
.he will be sensible, that no spot on earth is as eligible to be cho¬ 
sen for a common centre of worship for mankind as that city. It 
stands about sixty miles from the Mediterranean, which comuni- 
cates with the Atlantic, and not many days journey from the Red 
Sea, which communicates with the Indian Ocean. And when the 
winds and waves shall cease to be dangerous, who would not de¬ 
sire to visit as often as possible, the land which is said to be «the 
glory of all lands,” and illuminated by the ineffable symbol of the 


FROM THE BROOK 


99 


not however, a philosopher on earth that would walk 
barefoot over its whole circumference to witness 
such a sight. 

With this terminates my reply to Mr. Everett. 
I leave it to his consideration, whether he has ful¬ 
filled the magnificent promises held out to the pub¬ 
lic in the splendid table of contents prefixed to his 
book ; from which it should seem as if I were ac- 
tually crushed into the dust; and I leave it to the 
consideration of my abused and deluded country¬ 
men, whether the heavy artillery of the law and the 
prophets, which I have wheeled out from the Old 
Testament, has not fairly blown the old board fences 
behind which a crazy superstition is ensconced, and 
which Mr. Everett has painted up to look like real 
fortifications, and mounted with quaker guns, to 
splinters and fragments. 

immediate presence of the Lord of the Universe, at whose efful 
gence “ the sun shall be ashamed, and the moon confounded.” 

Neither is it necessary to suppose, that I know of, that every 
inan of the human race should be annually present; if some come 
from all nations, all nations may be said to come. See Appen¬ 
dix, I. 


THE SLING 


What was the real history and character of Je¬ 
sus Christ? 

Mr. Everett had a right to consider my expres¬ 
sions, relative to this subject contained in my first 
work, as “ far from being explicitfor in fact I 
hardly knew what to think of the unparalelled 
son of Mary. That he was a pious and blameless 
man, I conceived that no man of good heart could 
doubt, while the supposition that he claimed to be 
the Messiah, I believed and still believe to be in- 
compatible with such a character as his. 

With the reader’s permission, I will now state 
what I conceive may have been the real truth with 
regard to him. 

I believe that Jesus of Nazareth was certainly a 
righteous man, and probably one who wished to 
bring back his countrymen to a rational observance 
of the law, and to abandon their traditions. 

He appeared in an age when the religious part of 
the Jewish nation had made the law in many re¬ 
spects of none effect by those traditions, and had 
rendered their religion a stumbling block to the Gen¬ 
tiles, by reason of the puerile superstitions they had 
added to it: thus counteracting the express design., 
for which they had been set apart from other na¬ 
tions, (viz. to bring them to the knowledge and ac¬ 
knowledgement of the unity and supremacy of God;) 


FROM THE BROOK. 


101 


and violating the command of Moses, w ye shall not 
add unto the word which I command you, neither 
shall ye diminish ought from it; for this is your 
wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the 
nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, 
surely this great nation is a wise and understanding 
people.” Deut. ch. iv.—and when the irreligious 
part of the nation, had hecome dreadfully corrupt. 

The Jewish people at that time were oppressed 
and despised ; the prophets of the Old Testament 
had taught them to believe that at a time when theif 
oppressions should be at their height, their Messiah 
should appear. Of consequence the appearance of 
such a man as Jesus Christ, at that time when they 
considered themselves as crushed under the Roman 
yoke, possibly led them or some of them to believe 
that he might be their expected deliverer. But the 
Jewish nation at that time were unworthy of such 
a deliverance. They longed for their Messiah, not 
for righteousness, but for vengeance sake ; not to 
hail him as the benefactor of the human race, but 
as the avenger of their wrongs upon all the world 
who had crushed and despised them. 

Such a people were not the lawful candidates for 
the happiness of the eternal kingdom ; and they af¬ 
terwards learned, by the event of their struggle with 
the Romans, that they must not expect deliverance 
till they had become less unworthy of it. 

Jesus, by preaching against the traditions of the 
elders, by not observing the Sabbath day so rigidly 
as the Pharisees, by denouncing them as hypocrites, 
tithers of mint anise and cummin, washers of plates 
and platters, and neglecters of the weightier mat¬ 
ters of the law, justice, judgment, and mercy, as 
serpents, a generation of vipers, whited sepulchres, 
and what not, had enraged these superstitious fana¬ 
tics to the last degree. But they could not wreak 
their vengeance, because he was protected by th< 



102 


FIVE PEBBLES 


people whom the gospels represent as expecting 
with the most anxious impatience, that he would 
announce himself as their deliverer.* But when 
repeated importunity, accompanied by an attempt 
to seize upon him and by compulsion oblige him to 
head them, terminated only in causing Jesus to es¬ 
cape and withdraw himself from their wishes! the 
people were disgusted, and abandoned him. 

The Chief Priests and Pharisees took advantage 
of this abandonment, to seize him and deliver him 
to the Roman governor as a dangerous man , who 
either was willing to head the people against the 
Romans, or who might be made the pretext of an 
insurrection, as the people had shown a disposition 
to recognize him as the Messiah-! Such I believe 
to be as near an approximation to the true history 
of Jesus Christ, as can be made at this day. 

Let us now review the points I have endeavoured 
to establish in this work. 

* “ And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. Then 
came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, how long 
dost thou draw our souls asunder ? If thou be the Messiah, tell us 
plainly.” John x, 23, 24. See the original Greek. 

f ,‘ When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come, and 
take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a 
mountain, himself alone.” John vi. 15. 

f It is remarkable that the gospels represent Jesus as refusing 
to acknowledge himself to the Jews as the Messiah. The gospels 
say, that Jesus confided his Messiahship to the disciples as a se¬ 
cret, with express injunctions not to betray it. “ Then charged 
.he his disciples that they should tell no train that he was the Messi¬ 
ah.” Mat. xvi. 20. Se also Mark viii. 29. and Luke ix. 21. This 
makes it possible that he never did claim that character, and that 
the glory in th£ gospels that he had told it as a secret to his disci¬ 
ples, was invented in order to furnish a reply to the Jews, who 
might have told the first Christians, that J esus had never,told 
them so, and of course never pretended to be considered as such, 
and that the Christians could not justly blame them for rejecting 
pretensions which Jesus never made to them, to whom especially 
he ought to have plainly declared them if lie wished them to be 
received. The truth of the matter appears to be, that the no¬ 
tion of the Messiahship of Jesus, had originally no better founda¬ 
tion than the mistaken enthusiasm of his followers. 

1 ;U 


FROM THE BROOK. 


103 


1. I have endeavoured to show that the miracles, 
supposed by Mr. Everett to have been wrought by 
Jesus in proof of his Messiahship, cannot be proved: 
because that the New Testament is not to be de¬ 
pended on as competent testimony for the real his¬ 
tory and real doctrines of Jesus of Nazareth; and 
therefore, that the question of his Messiahship must 
in all events be decided by an appeal to the Old 
Testament. 

2. It has been shown, that the prophecies of the 
Messiah contained in the Old Testament, have not 
been fulfilled in Jesus; and that those prophecies 
which Mr. Everett regards as proofs of the Chris¬ 
tian religion, were also not fulfilled in Jesus. 

3. It has been shown, that the law of Moses was 
intended for a perpetual law for the Jewish nation, 
“ through all their generations foreverand of 
course that it is, and must be perpetually obligatory 
upon them ; and consequently whether jesus be 
the Messiah, or not, the Jews are bound to ad¬ 
here to the law of Moses.* 

* The case of the Jews and Christians is parallel to that of “ the 
prophet of Judah,” and “ the prophet of Bethel.” The Chris¬ 
tians allow that God himself g ave the law to the Jews, but they say 
to the Jews that Jesus was ordered by God to repeal it. 

“ It was said unto me (says the prophet of Judah) by the word 
of Jehovah, Thou shalt cat no bread, nor drink water there, (at 
Bethel the chapel of the g’olden calf,) nor turn to go by the way 
that thou earnest. He (i. e- the prophet of Bethel) said unto him, 
I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by 
the word of Jehovah, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine 
house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto 
him. So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, 
and drink water.” 

“ And it came to pass, as they sat at the table, that the word 
of Jehovah came unto the prophet that brought him back : and 
he cried unto the man of God that came from Judah, saying, Thus 
saith Jehovah, forasmuch as thou'hast disobeyed the mouth of Je¬ 
hovah, and hast*not kept the commandment -which Jehovah thy God 
commanded thee, but earnest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk 
water in the place, of the which Jehovah did say unto thee, eat 
no bread, and drink no water, thy carcase shall not come unto 
the sepulchre of thy fathers.” 1 Kings, ch. xiii. 


104 


FIVE PEBBLES 


4. It has been shown, that it is absolutely impos* 
sible to know the real history of Jesus with certain¬ 
ty ; the Jews and Christians ought for the future to 
consider his character, not as a subject of dispute, 
nor an occasion of quarrel, much less as a cause of 
mutual aversion, but merely as a matter of specu¬ 
lation. 

Should these positions ever be recognised by the 
Jews and Christians as reasonable and true, let us 
consider what may be the consequence. 

1. The Christians become sensible, that the New 
Testament is not to be depended on, would cease to 
hate, to persecute, and to annoy the unfortunate 
Jews, on account of their rejecting its doctrines. 

2. The Christians would themselves adhere to the 
Old Testament, as the rock and rule of faith and 
morals ; and would worship with the Jews the One 
Jehovah without equal or companion, and obey the 
moral laxv of the Old Testament; leaving the ob¬ 
servance of its ceremonial institutions to the nation 
for whom they were intended:* like the “ devout 
Gentiles’* in the time of Josephus and Christ. 

* 1. If the Christians should do this, the fundamental articles of 
their creed would be, to love the Lord their God with all their 
heart, and with all their mind, and soul, and strength, and to love 
their neighbours as themselves: for on these two commandments 
hang all the law and the prophets. 

2. If the Christians should do this, they would have precisely 
the same Scriptures which the apostles and first Christians had, 
and which they considered as sufficient. Even Paul himself pro¬ 
nounces, that the Old Testament was “given by inspiration of 
God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for 
instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, 
thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” 2 Tim. ch. iii. 16. 

3. If the Christians should do this, all the endless and rancour- 
ous disputes about the trinity,*incarnation, atonement, transub- 
stantiation, worship of the Virgin Mary, the saints, their images 
and relics, the supremacy of the Pope, et id genus omne, would 
be quietly laid upon the shelf, and torment mankind no more. 

4. The hundred sects into which Christians are divided would 
coalese; for it is the New Testament which keeps them asunder.. 


FROM THE BROOK. 


105 


3. The Jews, seeing the Christians Unitarians as 
well as themselves, would cease to regard the Chris¬ 
tians as impious idolators, and cruel enemies. 

4. Both parties would worship and serve God as 
brethren, and children of the same father ; and await 
in faith and hope the appearance of the great per¬ 
sonage, who is to make them and all the good part 
of mankind, perfectly happy. 

Should what I have written have any tendency 
to promote union and friendly feelings between the 
parties to a dispute which has for nearly eigh¬ 
teen hundred years occasioned such cruel oppres¬ 
sions and bloody persecutions* to the side which is 
in the right, I shall not have lived in vain ; and 
though the cause in which I have exerted myself 
has occasioned me much detriment and distress,^ 
and may possibly ultimately oblige me to die in a 

So long 1 as-rftot book is believed to contain a Revelation from 
God, there am be no peace. For pious and good men who be¬ 
lieve that it is of divine authority, and who are zealously disposed 
to discover from its contents « what is the mind of the spirit,” 
must necessarily be divided in their opinions; because the New 
Testament is not only inconsistent with the Old, but is also in¬ 
consistent with itself too ; and must therefore necessarily create 
a diversity of opinions in those who reverence it as the word of 
God. This is the grand secret, and everacting cause, which has 
made seisms in the church. 

* Mr. Everett, p. 427 of his work, alluding to my anticipations 
in one of my publications, in which I expressed myself as aware 
of what I should have to encounter, in consequence of my un« 
dertaking in behalf of the oppressed and slandered Jews; says 
with something like “ the charity of a monk, and the meekness of 
an inquisitor,” that “the affecting allusion he (Mr. English,) has 
made to his prospects in the world, has many a time restrained 
me, when I ought to have used the language of indignation.” 

If a man had told me, that in consequence of my enterprise I 
should encounter great misfortunes, I should have answered, I ex¬ 
pected, and was prepared to meet them. But if he had told me, a 
native of the New World discovered a few centuries ago, that the 
time would come when I should write upon this subject, in the. 
very land, and almost on the very spot that gave birth to Moses 
and the Pharoahs, I should have thought him amusing himself 
with a jest: nevertheless such is the fact. I write this book on 
the banks of old Nile, and in sight of the pyramids. 


106 


FIVE PEBBLES 


foreign land, without a friend to close my eyes ; I 
comfort my heart with the hope, that I may have 
done somewhat for the great cause of truth, justice, 
and humanity, and for the promotion of mutual re¬ 
gard and friendly feelings, among a very large por¬ 
tion of the human race. 


APPENDIX. 


A 


For instance, it is said in the 2d. eh. of the Gos¬ 
pel called of Mathew, that Jesus, when brought out 
of Egypt by his parents, u came and dwelt in the city 
called Nazereth : that it might be fulfilled which 
was spoken by the prophet. u He shall be called a 
Nazerene.” 

Now there is no such passage as this throughout 
the Old Testament: the author of the Gospel called 
of Mathew must therefore, it seems to me, have for¬ 
ged this supposed prophecy out of his own head, or 
must have mistaken the sense of some passage in the 
Old Testament: if he was capable of either, he was 
not the honest and inspired Mathew, the Apostle of 
Jesus Christ. There is a passage in the Old Tes¬ 
tament, which might have led a Gentile, ignorant of 
the Jewish Scriptures into this mistake, but could 
not have misled a Jew. In the history of Sampson 
Judges xiii. 5. it is said, “that he should be a Nciza~ 
rite unto God from the womb.” But a Nazerite 
was one thing and a Nazarene another : the first was 
a man who had a peculiar vow upon him, described 
Numbers. 7. ch., but a Nazarerie was a man belong¬ 
ing the city of Nazereth in Palestine. The quotation 
is a proof with me, that the author of the Gospel as- 


108 


APPENDIX. 


cribed to Matthew was a Gentile, of course not 
Matthew who was a Jew, and incapable of making 
such a blunder.** 

Again, in the Gospel called of Matthew ch. xxvii. 
9* a passage is quoted as a prophetic proof text from 
Jeremiah , says the author. u Then was fulfilled that 
which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet saying, 
and they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of 
him that was valued, whom they of the children of 
Israel did value ; and gave them for the Potters field, 
as the Lord appointed me.” There is no such pas¬ 
sage as this in “ Jeremy the prophet,” nor in any of 
the Books of the Old Testament. But Jerom as¬ 
serts, that it was taken from an Apocryphal Book 
ascribed to Jeremiah: he says that he saw the apoc¬ 
ryphal book from whence this is taken. See Je« 
rom’s Commentary upon Matthew tom. iv. p. 1. p. 
134. See also Marsh’s Michaelis Vol. I. p. 490. as 
quoted by Mr. Everett. 

It appears to me, that an honest man would not 
quote, as prophetical authority, a forged book as¬ 
cribed to Jeremiah : and an inspired man as the 
Christians suppose Matthew to have been, still less. 

In short the quotations in the New testament from 
the Old, adduced as prophecies of Jesus and the Re¬ 
ligion of the New Testament, are so very inapplica¬ 
ble to that purpose, that the most celebrated of the 
Christian Theologians of the present day, have found 
themselves obliged to abandon all attempts to sup- 

* I have read in a Magazine, of an itinerant Methodist preacher, 
not perfectly acquainted with the sublime arts of reading and writ¬ 
ing, who, in a sermon of his in praise of Industry, alledged as a 
proof of God’s aversion to idleness, that God commanded Moses, 
when he built the Tabernacle in the wilderness, to cover it with 
“ beggar’s skins.” The English Translation says Ex. ch. xxvi- 
14. with badger's skins.” Now I suppose that if such a quotation 
from the Old Testament, was found in a work whose title page re¬ 
presented it to have been written by Bishop Marsh, that there is 
ojta scholar in Christendom, who would not pronounce the book 
to be a forgery. 


APPENDIX. 


i09 


port them as prophecies fulfilled in the events to 
which they are applied. They maintain, as will ap¬ 
pear hereafter in the course of this work, that not 
one of the passages, quoted in the New Testament 
from the Old, was quoted as a prophecy, but mere¬ 
ly by way of accommodation or allusion. If so, it 
may be replied, that it is very extraordinary, that 
the authors of the books of the New Testament who 
are almost continually representing that Jesus was 
predicted by the prophets, should after all never 
have adduced one of those predictions, although they 
are perpetually quoting the Old Testament. But 
the truth of the matter probably is, that the writers 
of the New Testament, did firmly believe that the 
passages they have quoted, were really predictions 
of the events and doctrines to which they refer them. 
This is clear from the Epistle to the Hebrews for 
instance, it is a deliberate and formal defence of the 
Doctrines of Christianity, addressed to the Jews, or 
Jewish Christians, in which the author attempts to 
show from the Old Testament, allowed by the Jews 
as oracular, that the Pre-existence, Divinity, Priest¬ 
hood, and Atonement of Jesus Christ, as supposed 
by the Christians, were predicted in the Old Testa¬ 
ment, and proved by his citations.* 

* Mr. Everett says p. 243, of his work that « not one of the Books 
of the J\ew Testament , nor all of them together, were intended to 
he a forensic defence of Christianity.” The Epistle to the He¬ 
brews, at least, convicts this opinion of mistake. 

He says also p. 273., ‘‘As to what Mr. English, after Collins, 
proceeds to say, that the authors of the books of the New Testa¬ 
ment always argue absolutely from the quotations they cite as 
prophecies out of the books of the old Testament, it is so far from 
being correct, that it is highly notorious, that they do not argue from 
them at all-” Mr. Everett must have felt very desperate to ven¬ 
ture upon such an assertion in the face of the Epistle to the He¬ 
brews. Mr. Everett may succeed with some in facing down argu¬ 
ment, but he is mistaken if he thinks, that 

“ Stubborn facts must still give place 
“ To his impenetrable face, 

“ Which makes its way through all affairs, kc. &c.” 


no 


APPENDIX. 


Who is so blind as not to see, that this system of 
Defence is merely one of the last resort, adopted in 
circumstances of distress for want of a better ? 

Sure I am, that the believing part of the Christian 
Laity will never adopt this System, (though the 
unbelieving part probably gladly will) but would be 
extremely shocked on being told by their Clergy, 
that the passages quoted from the Old Testament 
by the writers of the New, which they and their pre¬ 
decessors from the 2nd century downwards have 
been accustomed to regard as veritable predictions 
of Jesus, and introduced too by such solemn prefa¬ 
ces as the following, “ all this was done that it might 
be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, say¬ 
ing” &c, or, “ in this was fulfilled that which was 
spoken by the prophet saying” &c—were not after 
all adduced as prophecies, but merely by way of aU 
lusion !* 


B 

Passages from the Old Testament referr¬ 
ing to the Messiah and the circumstances of 
his kingdom. 

“ Shiloh shall come, and to him shall the obedi¬ 
ence of the peoples be.” Ac. to the Hebr. Gen. 
xlix. 10. 

“The adversaries of Jehovah shall be broken in 
pieces ; out of Heaven shall He thunder upon them ; 
Jehovah shall judge the ends of the earth ; and he 
shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of 
his Messiah.” 1 Sam. ch. ii. 10. 

“ These be the last words of David. David the 
son of Jesse said, and the man who was exalted on 

* Bishop Marsh does honour to his English honesty and common 
sense, in refusing to allow that such strong expressions can signify 
a mere accommodation of a passage in the Old Testament. See his 
Notes to Michaelis’ Introduction to the New Testament. 


APPENDIX. 


Ill 

high, the Messiah of the God of Jacob, [See the 
Hebr.] and the sweet Psalmist of Israel. The Spi¬ 
rit of Jehovah spake by me, and his word was in my 
tongue. The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel 
spake to me. He that ruleth over mankind [or the 
human race. See the Hebr.] shall be just, ruling in 
the fear of God. And he shall be as the light of the 
morning when the sun ariseth, even a morning with¬ 
out clouds ; as the tender grass springing out of the 
earth by clear shining after rain.—-But the sons of 
Belial shall be all of them as thorns thrust away, be¬ 
cause they cannot be taken with hands : but the man 
that shall touch them must be fenced with iron, 
and the staff of a spear; and they shall be utterly 
burned with fire in the same place.” 2. Sam. ch. xxiii. 
1 .— 7 . 

4t I have set my king upon my hoty hill of Zion, I 
will declare the decree, Jehovah hath said unto me, 
Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee ; ask 
of me, and I shall give thee the nations for thy in¬ 
heritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for thy 
possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of 
iron : thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s 
vessel.” Ps. 2. See also Ps. 21. 

“ He shall judge thy people with righteousness, 
and thy poor with judgment. The mountains shall 
bring peace to the people, and the little hills by right¬ 
eousness. He shall judge the poor of the people, he 
shall save the children of the needy, and shall break 
in pieces the oppressor. They shall fear thee as long 
as the sun and moon endure throughout all generations. 
He shall come down like rain upon the mown grass ; 
as showers that water the earth, [compare 2. Sam. 
ch. xxi. 3. 4.] In his days shall the righteous flour¬ 
ish ; and abundance of peace as long as the moon en~ 
dureth. He shall have dominion also from sea to 
sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. 
[“ his dominions shall be from sea even to sea, and 


112 


APPENDIX. 


from the river even unto the ends of the earth. ,, 
Zech. ix : 10.] they that dwell in the wilderness shall 
bow before him ; and his enemies shall lick the dusjL 
The kings of Tarshish and of the isles [i. e. of Eu¬ 
rope and the west,] shall bring presents ; the kings 
of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. All kings shall 
fall down before him : all nations shall serve him. For 
he shall deliver the needy when he crieth ; the poor 
also, and him that hath no helper. He shall spare 
the poor and needy, and shall save the souls of the 
needy. He shall redeem their soul from deceit and 
violence : and precious shall their blood be in his 
sight. And he shall live , and to him shall be given 
of the gold of Sheba; prayer also shall be made for 
him continually ; and daily shall he be praised—His 
name shall endure for ever: his name shall be con¬ 
tinued as long as the sun : and men shall be blessed 
in him : all nations shall call him blessed. Blessed 
be Jehovah God, the God of Israel, who only doeth 
ivondrous things. And blessed be his glorious name 
for ever ; and let the whole earth be filled with his 
glory. Amen, and Amen.* Ps. 7 2. 

“ Thou speakest in vision of thy holy [or pious] 
one, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is 
mighty : I have exalted one chosen out of the people. 
I have found David my servant; with my holy oil 
have I anointed him : with whom my hand shall be 
established: mine arm also shall strengthen him. The 
enemy shall not exact upon him : nor the sin of wick¬ 
edness afflict him. And I will beat down his foes 
before his face, and plague them that hate him. But 
my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him : 
and in my name shall his horn be exalted. I will set 
his hand also in the sea, and his right hand in the 
rivers. He shall cry unto me thou art my father, my 

* This Psalm is entitled in the English version “ a prayer for 
Solomon.” It should have been translated “a Psalm of Solo¬ 
mon.” 


APPENDIX. 


113 


God, and the rock of my salvation. Also I will make 
him my first born, higher than the kings of the earth. 
My mercy will I keep for him for evermore, and my 
covenant shall stand fast* with him. [“although my 
house be not so with God : yet he hath made with 
vie an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and 
sure.” 2. Sam. ch. xxiii. 5.] His seed also will I 
make to endure forever, and his throne as the days oj 
heaven .—My covenant will I not break, nor alter the 
thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn 
by my holiness that I will not lie unto David. His 
seed shall endure for ever, and kis throne as the 
sun before me. It shall be established for ever as 
the moon, and as a faithful witness in the heaven.” 
Ps. 89. 

“ Jehovah said unto my Lord, sit thou on my 
right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool 
Jehovah shall send the rod of thy power out of Zion : 
rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.—Jehovah 
at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the 
day of his wrath. He shall judge among the nations : 
he shall fill the places with the dead bodies: he shall 
wound the heads over many countries.” Ps. 110. 

w It shall come to pass in the last days, that the 
mountain of Jehovah’s house shall be established in 
the tops of the mountains, and shall be exalted above 
the hills ; and all the nations shall flow unto it. 
And many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and 
let us go up to the mountain of Jehovah, to the house 
of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his 
ways, and we will walk in his paths : for out of Zion 
shall go forth the law, and the word of Jehovah from 
Jerusalem. And he shall judge among the nations, 
and shall rebuke many peoples : and they shall beat 
their swords into ploughshares, and their spears in¬ 
to pruning-hooks : nation shall not lift up sword 
against nation, neither shall they learn war any¬ 
more.” Is. ch. ii. 

“ Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.; 

K 2 


114 


APPENDIX. 


and the Principality shall be upon his shoulder; and 
the Wonderful Counsellor, The Mighty God, The 
everlasting Father shall call his name the Prince of 
Peace.* [See. the Heb.") Of the increase of his gov¬ 
ernment and peace there shall be no end, upon the 
throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it 
and to establish it with judgment and with justice 
from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of Jeho¬ 
vah of Hosts will perform this.” Is. ix : 6, 7. 

u There shall come forth a rod out of the stem 
(or stump, i. e. the roots of a tree cut down) of 
Jesse, and a branch shall grow out of his roots, and 
the spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the spirit 
of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of coun¬ 
sel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear 
of Jehovah, and shall make him of quick under¬ 
standing in the fear of Jehovah : and he shall not 
judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove 
after the hearing of his ears: but with righteousness 
shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for 
the meek of the earth j and he shall smite the earth 
with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of 
his lips shall he slay the zvicked. And righteousness 
shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the 
girdle of his reins. The wolf also shall dwell with 
the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid: 
and the calf and the young lion and the fading to¬ 
gether ; and a little child shall lead them. And the 
cow and the bear shall feed: their young ones 
shall lie down together ; and the lion shall eat straw 
like the ox.f And the sucking child shall play on 

* Mr Everett says p. 51. that “ the Septuagint discountenances 
this rendering.” AVhat is that to me ? I chose to abide by the 
original Hebrew, and not to follow a blundering, garbled, and in- 
terpolated version, which frequently imposes a false sense upon 
the original, and not unfrequently no sense at all. more Christiana . 

t Mr. Everett, p. 52. considers this expression as a decisive 
proof that the prophecies of the Messiah’s kingdom, must be un¬ 
derstood figuratively. Is Mr. Everett so .ignorant of his Bible as 


appendix. 


115' 


the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put 
his hand on the cockatrices den. They shall not hurt 
nor destroy in all my holy mountain : for the earth 
shall be full of the knowledge of Jehovah, as the 
waters cover the sea. And in that day there shall 
be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign 
of the peoples ; to it shall the Gentiles seek ; and 
his seat shall be glory.” [See the Hebr.] Is. ch. xi. 
“ And it shall come to pass in that day, that Jeho¬ 
vah shall set his hand again the second time to reco¬ 
ver the remnant of his people which shall be left, 
from Assyria, and from Egypt, and from Pathros, 
and from Cush, and from Elam, and from Shinar, 
and from the islands of the sea. And he shall set 
up an ensign for the nations, and shall assemble the 
outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed 
of Judah from the four corners of the earth.” Is. 
ch. xi. 

u And he will destroy in this mountain the face 
of the covering cast over all the peoples, (i. e. their 
ignorance of God’s dispensations) and the vail that 
is spread over all the nations. He will swallow up 
death in victory ; (or to eternity) and Jehovah God 
will wipe away tears from off all faces: and the re¬ 
buke of his people shall he take away from off all 
the earth : for Jehovah hath spoken it, and it shall 
be said in that day, Lo, this is our God ; we have 
waited for him, and he will save us ; thus saith 
Jehovah ; we have waited for him, we will be glad, 
and rejoice in his salvation.” Is. xxv. 7—9. 

“ The wilderness and the solitary place shall be 
glad for them ; and the desert shall rejoice and 
blossom as the rose. It shall blossom abundantly 
and rejoice even with joy and singing: the glory 
of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency 

not to know, that it represents that at the beginning 1 animals did 
.not prey upon each other, and if it was so once, which Mr. Ever¬ 
ett will not deny, it may be so again. See Gen. ch. i. 30. 


116 


APPENDIX. 


of Carmel and Sharon, they shall see the glory of 
Jehovah, and the excellency of our God. Strength- 
enye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. 
Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, 
fear not; behold your God will come with ven¬ 
geance, even God with a recompense, he will come 
and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be 
opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. 
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the 
tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall 
waters break out, and streams in the desert. And 
the parched ground shall become a pool, and the 
thirsty land springs of water: in the habitation 
of dragons where each lay, shall be grass, with reeds 
and rushes. And the ransomed of Jehovah shall 
return and come to Zion with songs and everlasting 
joy upon their heads, and sorrow and sighing shall 
flee away.” Is. xxxv. 

u Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your 
God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry 
unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her 
iniquity is pardoned ; for she hath received of Jeho¬ 
vah’s hand, double for all her sins. The voice of 
him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the 
way of Jehovah, make straight in the desert a 
highway for our God. Every valley shall be ex¬ 
alted, and every mountain and hill shall be made 
low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and 
the rough places plain. And the glory of Jehovah 
shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together : * 
for the mouth of Jehovah hath spoken it. The voice 
said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry ? All flesh 
is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the 
flower of the field. The grass withereth, the floiver 
fadeth; because the spirit of Jehovah bloweth upon 
it: surely the people is grass. The grass wither¬ 
eth, the flower fadeth; but the word of our god 

SHALL STAND FOR EVER.” Is. xl. 


appendix^ 


117 


(t My people shall know my name : therefore shall 
they know in that day, that I am He that doth 
speak ; behold it is I. How beautiful upon the 
mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good 
tidings, that publisheth peace ; that bringeth good ti¬ 
dings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith 
unto Zion, Thy Gocl reigneth ! Thy watchmen shall 
lift up the voice, with the voice together shall they 
sing ; for they shall see eye to eye, when Jehovah 
shall bring again Zion. Break forth into joy, sing 
together ye waste places of Jerusalem ; for Jehovah 
hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jeru¬ 
salem, Jehovah hath made bare his holy arm in the 
eyes of all nations; and all the ends of the earth 
shall see the salvation of our God.” Is. lii. 


G. G» 

The good Christians of the United States, I do 
not use the term in sarcasm, for they are good, speak 
in their books and sermons of the Christian religion 
as if it were every where the same as in the grand, 
free, and liberal republic. But the fact is not so. 
An American who reads the poems of Homer, or 
Ovid’s Metamorphoses, laughs at the religion of 
the ancient Greeks and Romans as a ridiculous fol¬ 
ly ; but when he visits those countries in Christen¬ 
dom which are not Protestant, he will be inclined to 
regard their religion as a blasphemy against the 
Most High. Go where you will in those countries, 
if you look into their churches, you invariably find 
a a molten image, or picture, and a teacher of lies.”* 5 

* The Greeks, Russians, and Copts will not worship images, for 
that they say is flagrant idolatry ; but they say there is no harm 
in praying before a picture. Their churches and houses are full 
l)f them. I have heard of a Greek bishop who employed a famous 
Italian painter to make a picture of the bishop’s patron, Isaiah . 
when it was finished he refused to take it, and expressed himself 
much shocked by its appearance. The painter asked whyf 


118 


APPENDIX. 


The prophets of the Old Testament reproached the 
idolatrous Jews, that “according to the number of 
their cities were their gods.” But in the countries 
I speak of, the number of gods is according to the 
number of churches, and even houses; for every 
house contains an image or picture of some saint 
or other, who is considered as the tutelary guar¬ 
dian of the family. 

H 

Mr. Everett observes upon this prophecy of Jere¬ 
miah p. 75. of his work, “ as it is near two thousand 
years since David has failed of a temporal prince up¬ 
on his throne, and a temporal successor of Levites, 
and since it is declared that it shall never fail of 
these, we must suppose that a spiritual sucession 
and a spiritual service were intended: or else the 
solemn promise of God has been for two thousand 
years, without fulfillment.” 

tc Ut semper !”- 

“ Sternhold and Hopkins had great qualms, 

** When they did quaver David’s Psalms; 

“ Which made their hearts full glad. 

“ But had the prophets back been sent, 

« To hear them sing, — and you comment, 

“ They surely had run mad.” 

I 

Passages from the Old Testament predict¬ 
ing the Restoration of the Dispersion. 

“ Behold the former things are come to pass, and 
new things do I declare : before they spring 
forth I tell you them.” 

“ I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather 

“ your picture, said the bishop is scandalous, the figure stands 
out from the canvass absolutely as if it. were a statue ; it would be 
idolatry in me to pray before such a picture.” 


APPENDIX. 


119 


thee from the west: I will say to the north, give 
up ; and to the sottfh. keep not back : bring my sons 
from far, and my daughters from the ends of the 
earth. Every one that is called by my name: for 
I have created him for my glory, I have formed him: 
yea I have made him. Is. xliii: 5, 6, 7. 

u Thus saith the Lord God, behold I will lift up 
my hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to 
the peoples : and they shall bring thy sons in their 
arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their 
shoulders. And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, 
and their queens thy nursing mothers : they shall 
bow down to thee with their face toward the earth, 
and shall lick up the dust of thy feet: and thou shalt 
know that I am Jehovah, for they shall not be 
ashamed that wait for me. Shall the prey be taken 
from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered. 
But thus saith Jehovah. Even the captives of the 
mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the ter¬ 
rible shall be delivered : for I will contend with him 
that contendeth with thee; and I will save thy child¬ 
ren. And I will feed them that oppress thee with 
their own flesh : and they shall be drunken with their 
own blood, as with sweet wine: and all flesh shall 
know that I Jehovah am thy Saviour, and thy Re¬ 
deemer, the Mighty One of Jacob.” Is. xlix. 

u Jehovah shall comfort Zion, he will comfort all 
her waste places: and he will make her wilderness 
like Eden, and her desart like the garden of Jeho¬ 
vah ; joy and gladness shall be found therein .■ 
thanksgiving and the voice of melody. Hearken un¬ 
to me my people, and give ear unto me O, my na¬ 
tion : for a law shall proceed from me, and I will 
make my judgment to rest for a light of the peoples. 
My righteousness is near, my salvation is gone forth, 
and mine arms shall judge the peoples: the isles 
shall wait upon me, and on mine arm shall 1116716311.” 
[See the Heb.] Is. li. 


120 


APPENDIX. 


“ Fear not, for thou shalt not be ashamed ; neith¬ 
er be thou confounded: for thou shalt not be put to 
shame : for thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, 
[i. e. thy ancient idolatry] and shalt not remember 
the reproach of thy widowhoods [i. e. thy two dis¬ 
persions] any more. For thy Maker is thy Husband, 
Jehovah of hosts is his name, and thy Redeemer the 
Holy one of Israel; the God of the whole earth 
shall he be called. For Jehovah hath called thee as a 
woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of 
youth, when thou hadst been refused saith thy God. 
For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with 
great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I 
hid my face from thee for a moment, but with ever¬ 
lasting kindness will I have mercy upon thee, saith 
Jehovah thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of 
Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters 
of Noah should no more go over the earth ; so have 
I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee, nor re¬ 
buke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the 
hills be removed: but my kindness shall not depart 
from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be 
removed, saith Jehovah that hath mercy on thee. 
O thou afflicted, tossed with tempest, and not com¬ 
forted : behold I will lay thy stones with fair colours, 
and lay thy foundations with sapphires, and I will 
make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of car¬ 
buncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones, and 
thy children shall be taught of Jehovah, and great 
shall be the peace of thy children. In righteousness 
shalt thou be established : thou shalt be far from op¬ 
pression : for thou shalt not fear, and from terror, 
for it shall not come near thee.” Is. liv. 

“ Behold thou shalt call a nation that thou know- 
est not, and nations that knew not thee shall run un¬ 
to thee, because of Jehovah thy God: and for the 
Holy one of Israel: for he hath glorified thee,” Is, 
lv. 5. 


APPENDIX. 


121 


u Behold-the darkness shall cover the earth, and 
gross darkness the peoples; but Jehovah shall arise 
ypon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. 
And the Gentiles shall come to thy light and kings 
to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes 
round about and see : all they gather themselves to¬ 
gether ; they come to thee : thy sons shall come from 
far, and ,thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. 
Then thou shalt see and flow together, and thine 
heart shall fear and be enlarged ; because the abun¬ 
dance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the 
forces [or wealth] of the Gentiles shall come unto 
thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee ; the 
dromedaries of Midian and Ephah : all they from 
Sheba shall come : they shall bring gold and incense : 
and they shall show forth the praises of Jehovah. 
All the flocks of Kedar shall be gathered together 
unto thee, the rams of Nebaioth [i. e. the chiefs of 
the Arabs Nebaioth was the eldest .son of Ishmael] 
shall minister unto thee : they shall come up with 
acceptance to mine altar, [doubtless, because they 
have been worshippers of one sole God of Abraham 
and the prophets since the days of Mohammed] and 
I will beautify the house of my glory. Who are these 
that fly as a cloud, and as the doves to their win¬ 
dows ? Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the 
ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, 
their silver, and their gold with them : unto the name 
of Jehovah thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel 
because He hath glorified thee. And the sons of stran¬ 
gers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall mi¬ 
nister unto thee, for in my wrath I smote thee, 
but in my favour have I had mercy on thee. There¬ 
fore thy gates shall be open continually ; they 
shall not be shut day nor night: that men may 
bring unto thee the forces of the Gentiles, and that 
their kings may be brought. For the nation and 
kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish \ ye$ 


1221 


appendix. 


those nations shall be utterly wasted. The glory of 
Lebanon shall come unto thee, the fir-tree, the pine- 
tree, and the box-tree together, to beautify the place of 
my sanctuary : and I will make the place of my feet 
glorious. The sons also of them that afflicted thee 
shall come bending unto thee : and all they that des¬ 
pised thee shall bow themselves down at the soles of 
thy feet; and they shall call thee the city of Jeho¬ 
vah, The Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Where¬ 
as thou hast been forsaken, and hated, that no man 
went through thee, I will make thee an eternal ex¬ 
cellency, a joy of endless [ac. to the Heb.] genera¬ 
tions. Thou shalt suck the milk of the Gentiles, 
and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt 
know that I Jehovah am thy Saviour and thy Re¬ 
deemer, the mighty One of Jacob. For brass I will 
bring gold, and for iron I will bring silver ; and for 
wood brass, and for stones iron : I will also make 
thy officers peace, and thine exactors righteousness. 
Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wast¬ 
ing nor destruction within thy borders: but thou 
shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. 
The sun shall be no more thy light by day : neither 
for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee : 
but Jehovah shall be unto thee an everlasting light, 
and thy God thy Glory. Thy sun shall no more gp 
down ; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself; for 
Jehovah shall be thy everlasting light, and the days 
of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also 
shall be all righteous : they shall inherit the land for¬ 
ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my 
hands, that I may be glorified.” Is ch. lx. 

“ Thou shalt be a crown of glory in the hand of 
Jehovah, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. 
Thou shalt be no more termed forsaken : neither 
shall thy land any more be termed desolate—For as 
a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons 




125 


marry tli£6: tmd as the bridegroom rejoiceth over 
the bride so shall thy God rejoice over thee.” Is. 
c.h. lxii. 

“ Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her 
all ye that love her : rejoice for joy with her all ye 
that mourn for her: that ye may suck, and be satisfied 
with the breasts of her consolations : that ye may 
milk and be delighted with the abundance of her 
glory. For thus saith Jehovah. Behold I will ex¬ 
tend Peace to her like a river, and the glory of the 
Gentiles tike an overflowing stream : then shall ye 
suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dan¬ 
dled upon her knees. As one whom his mother com¬ 
forted so will I comfort you ; and ye shall be com¬ 
forted in Jerusalem.” Is. lxvi. 

“Thus saith Jehovah, keep ye judgment, and do 
justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my 
righteousness to be revealed. Blessed is the man that 
doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold of it, 
that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keep- 
eth his hand from doing any evil. Neither let the son 
of the stranger who hath joined himself unto Jeho¬ 
vah, speak, saying, Jehovah hath utterly separated 
me from his people—the sons of the stranger that 
join themselves to Jehovah, to serve him, and to 
love the name of Jehovah, to be his servants, every 
one that keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it, and 
taketh hold of my covenant: even them will I bring 
to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my 
house of prayer : their burnt offerings and their sac¬ 
rifices shall be accepted on mine altar; for mine 
house shall be called a house of prayer for all peo¬ 
ples. Jehovah God which gathereth the outcasts of 
Israel saith, yet will I gather others to him beside 
those that are gathered to him.” Is. ch. lvi. 

“ Tell ye and bring them near ; yea, let them take 
counsel together: who hath declared this from an- 


■i$4 




cient time ? who hath told it from that time ? Have 
not I Jehovah ? and there is no God else beside me ; 
a just God and a Saviour, there is none beside me, 
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the 
Earth : for I am God and there is none else. * I have 
sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth 
in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me 
every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Sure¬ 
ly, shall one say, in Jehovah have I righteousness and 
strength: even to Him shall men come : and all that 
are incensed against Him shall be ashamed. In Je¬ 
hovah shall all the seed of Israel be justified^ and 
shall gloryIs. xlv. 21. &c, 

* “In the mountain of the height of Israel will I plant it: and 
it shall bring forth boughs and bear fruit, and be a glorious cedar: 
and under it shall dwell all fowl of every wing; in the shadow of 
the branches thereof shall they dwell. And all the trees of the 
field shall know, that I Jehovah have brought down the high tree, 
have exalted the low tree, have dried up the green tree, and made 
the dry tree to flourish, I Jehovah have spoken it and I will do 
it.” JGzech. xvii. 23. 


ERRATA. 



(The manuscript of this book was written in little 
more than three weeks at Cairo, amidst the hurry 
and bustle of my preparations to accompany Ismael 
Pasha to the Upper Nile. It has been printed with¬ 
out my having had it in my power to correct any of 
the proofs. In consequence of one or both of these 
Circumstances the following Errata almost entirely 
literal have been committed. I believe however that 
the Scholar will not find any. misstatement of facts, 
nor the Logician any flaw in the arguments; the book 
lays before the Public. On these two points I feel 
quite secure in this respect: and I calmly and firm¬ 
ly lay my gage at the feet of all Christendom. Let 
\ him who dares to take it up, do it.) 

fri the 2d. quotation in the title page for choseth,” read 
chusest. 

Preface r p. 6. ]. 9. for « possessions,” read prepossessions. 

In p. 8. 1. 5. for « these,” read their. 

p. 13. 1. last in the note, for “ mulata,” read mulato . 
p. 15. 1. 8. for 26. read 36. 1. 11. for 54. read 34. 
p. 18. 1. 12. from the bottom in the note for « these,” 
the three. 

p. 36. 1. 7. from the bottom after “ was,” insert ac-' 
cording to Mr. Everett. 

p. 41. 1. 27. for Acts « 4. 45.” read Acts 4: 25. 
p. 46. 1. 12. for “ come,” read came. 
p. 48. 1. 13. for “exists,” read exist. 
p. 49. in the note for « Zerah,” read Terah. 
p. 50. in the note line 17. from the bottom for ** cob 
lected,” read collated. 

p. 53. 1. 10. for “ Romans,” read Asmonceans. Do. In 
the note for “ Tabnai,” read Tatnau 
p. 55. for “ carinficina,” read camificina. 
p. 56. 1. 2. from the bottom for “ esteemed not,” read 
and xve esteemed hitn not. 
p, 57.1. 5. for « with,” read through K 





ERRATA. 



in p. 63- I. 27. far “ will,” read w etL 

p. 65.1. 3. from the bottom in the note before “ and,* 1 
insert Grammar. 

p. 66. I. 16. for “ violations,” read quotations. 
p. 74.1. 6. from the bottom for “ sun,” read been.'- 
p. 75. 1. 4. for “ simple,” read single , 
p. 77. I. last dele “ Joshua.” 
p. 79. 1. 8. read « heels over head.” 
p. 83. I. 13. in the note for “of,” read and. 
p. 87. 1. 11. for “ exonerated,” read consecrated. 
p. 92. 1. 5. for “ the,” read a. 
p. 95. in the notes line 7. after “forest,” insert of the 
JVorth. 

p. 97. L 5. for « rights,” read rites. 
do. 1. 7. dele “the.” 

do. h 2. from the bottom for “streaming,” read 
steaming. 

p. 98.1. 13. for <e unfeeling,” read unreflecting. 
p. 99. 1. 1. after “would,” insert not. 
p. 102.1.15. in the notes for “ glory,” read story. 
p. 104.1. 1. after “that,” insert as. 
p. 111. 1. 3. for “ was,” read is. 

do. 1. 5. from the bottom for ch. 21. read ch. 23; 
p. 115.1, 7. from the bottom for “ thus saith,” read 
this is. 

p, 117,1. 5. in the note for “ patron Isaiah,” read. 
patron Saint. 






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